Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Kevin Foster: Department for Transport policy states “All staff must travel standard class irrespective of grade, except under certain circumstances, including temporary or permanent disability or pregnancy related reasons” To obtain the information in the format requested would be at disproportionate cost.

Rolling Stock: North of England

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of the new trains that will be required on the upgraded TransPennine route.

Kevin Foster: The types of trains required for the route, cognisant of the wider network, are currently being assessed by the department and the Train Operating Companies as part of the development of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. As costs are developed they will be considered in future business cases.

Railways: North of England

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a plan to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail; and when (a) a new line between Leeds and Manchester, (b) signal upgrades and electrification across the whole of the North will be delivered.

Kevin Foster: The Prime Minister has made clear the Government’s commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, including a stop in Bradford. Plans will be set out in due course including potential opportunities for acceleration. We will engage closely with local leaders and MPs in reaching detailed decisions on the options to deliver this. In the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published July 2021, the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. This will include electrifying additional lines and deploying battery and hydrogen trains on lines where it makes economic and operational sense.

Railways: Freight

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department will publish the target for rail freight growth to which it committed in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Kevin Foster: The Government strongly supports the growth and development of rail freight, reflecting the significant economic and environmental benefit it provides. The Great British Railways Transition Team concluded a Call for Evidence on 27th September 2022 regarding the rail freight growth target. It is now developing a range of options for Ministers on an appropriate, realistic target. We then expect to publish a rail freight growth target in the first half of 2023.

Great British Railways

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce the location of Great British Rail's new headquarters.

Kevin Foster: A decision on the final location of the GBR HQ will be taken shortly, based on information gathered throughout the process.

Railways: North of England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for the study into high-speed rail services between Sheffield and Leeds.

Kevin Foster: We intend to publish the terms of reference for the HS2 to Leeds Study shortly.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a recent estimate of the potential cost savings of (a) cancelling and (b) postponing HS2.

Kevin Foster: There are no plans to cancel or postpone HS2, which remains at the heart of this Government’s plans to boost economic growth. HS2 is transformational and will act as a catalyst to help level-up the economies of the Midlands and the North. With construction now well underway, HS2 and its supply chain is already supporting 27,000 jobs, including over 950 apprenticeships and over 2,500 businesses, 97% of which are UK-registered. I look forward to updating the House shortly on the progress of the programme through the next six- monthly update.

Railways: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains her Department's policy to proceed with the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Northern Powerhouse Rail will include a new station in Bradford city centre.

Kevin Foster: The Prime Minister has made clear the Government’s commitment to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, including a stop in Bradford. Plans will be set out in due course including potential opportunities for acceleration. We will engage closely with local leaders and MPs in reaching detailed decisions on the options to deliver this.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

DNA: Screening

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of developing regulations to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA synthetic screening in energy and manufacturing industries.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In the Integrated Review the Government committed to review and reinforce the cross-government approach to biosecurity. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is feeding into this review, led by the Cabinet Office.

Housing: Insulation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of loft insulation being installed since the inception of the Green Heat Network Fund.

Graham Stuart: The Green Heat Network Fund does not cover loft insulation, and so the requested information is not available to the Government.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic merits of establishing a British-based medical cannabis industry; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that industry on (a) job creation, (b) research and development and (c) revenue generation.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government have no plans to assess the potential economic merits of establishing a British-based medical cannabis industry. We will continue to support the Life Science sector through delivery of the Life Science Vision.

Solar Events

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress the Government has made on the Prepare Pillar of the UK Severe Space Weather Preparedness Strategy.

Graham Stuart: The Government continues to make progress on the UK Severe Space Weather Preparedness Strategy, including work across Government, industry and with international partners to evaluate the impact of severe space weather across a range of sectors.

Housing: Insulation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of those homes with cavity walls which did not have insulation installed on 31 December 2021 have been insulated since that date.

Graham Stuart: BEIS estimates that there were 6.2 million homes in Great Britain with cavity walls that were not insulated at the end of December 2021. In the first seven months of 2022, it is estimated that around 31,000 (0.5%) wall cavities were filled, supported through the Energy Company Obligation (covering Great Britain) and Green Homes Grant government schemes (covering England only): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-statistics-detailed-report-2021.

Housing: Energy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to increase the number of household energy efficiency installations.

Graham Stuart: Between 20/21 and 25/26, the Government committed £3.6 billion to improving the least energy efficient homes through Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant, Green Homes Grant, Local Authority Delivery and Boiler Upgrade Schemes. The Government has also recently announced further energy efficiency support through ECO+ which will help hundreds of thousands of households reduce their energy bills. ECO+ will be worth £1bn per annum and will deliver an average household saving of around £280 per year with at least half of the support directly targeted at the most vulnerable.

Construction: Training

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to improve construction skills.

Jackie Doyle-Price: BEIS works closely with the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions and representatives of the construction sector, through the Construction Skills Delivery Group. This has agreed a series of actions to increase investment in construction skills, through greater recruitment of apprentices, support for T-Levels and improving routes into the industry. Apprenticeship starts in the 2021-22 academic year reached over 32,000, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

Small Businesses: Interest Rates

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the impact of the Growth Plan 2022 on borrowing costs for small businesses.

Dean Russell: My Rt. Hon. Friends the Secretary of State and Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer share the aim of making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. The Growth Plan 2022 contributes to that aim by creating the right environment for growth, including giving small businesses certainty over their energy bills. Borrowing costs vary widely from one business to another and are influenced by a range of factors.

Biofuels

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of any plans to amend its biomass sustainability criteria in the forthcoming Biomass Strategy.

Graham Stuart: The Government issued a call for evidence in 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/role-of-biomass-in-achieving-net-zero-call-for-evidence) to seek stakeholder views and evidence on a range of biomass-related questions. This included potential improvements to the biomass sustainability criteria. The responses to the call for evidence, alongside feedback from extensive stakeholder engagement, are feeding into recommendations for further strengthening of the UK’s already stringent biomass sustainability criteria, which we will set out in the forthcoming Biomass Strategy.

Energy: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will have discussions within Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of (a) establishing a separate energy market for Scotland including for stewardship and licencing of Scotland based energy resources and (b) fully devolving energy policy for Scotland to the Scottish Government.

Graham Stuart: There are no plans to hold such discussions. The UK Government continues to work closely with the Scottish Government on energy matters. This includes engagement through the Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Intermenstrual Group which facilitates collaboration and coordination across devolved and reserved competence, ensuring we are delivering effectively for all parts of the UK.

Certification Quality Marks

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a comprehensive roadmap of activities and milestones for the development of UK Conformity Assessment arrangements.

Dean Russell: The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking can already be used in Great Britain as a way to place products on the market. The Government has published extensive guidance on GOV.UK regarding the activities businesses need to undertake to meet UKCA requirements. Currently the CE marking can also be used to place products on the market in Great Britain. The Government will continue to provide updates, engage and communicate with industry.

Certification Quality Marks

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will work with industry throughout the development of the UK Conformity Assessed marking system to ensure that aligned messaging on reassurance can be provided even whilst the longer-term uncertainty remains.

Dean Russell: The Government will continue to take a pragmatic approach in developing the UK’s regulatory framework to ensure it works for businesses, while maintaining high standards of product safety to protect consumers. In order to achieve this, it is vital we continue to work closely with industry. The Government also continues to welcome any feedback, comments, and suggestions from industry on any challenges they are facing, to understand how they can be best supported

Fuel Oil

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the number of people reliant on oil for heating in (a) Midlothian constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

Graham Stuart: Survey data only exists at a national level for the numbers of properties that use oil as a main heating source. In Scotland, as reported in the Scottish House Condition Survey (https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-house-condition-survey-2019-key-findings/pages/4/), 129,000 households (5 per cent) used oil as their primary heating fuel in 2019. In England, as reported in the English Housing Survey (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/energy-performance), 762,000 dwellings (3.2 per cent) used oil central heating as their main heating system in 2020. In Wales, as reported in the Welsh Housing Conditions Survey (https://gov.wales/welsh-housing-conditions-survey-energy-efficiency-dwellings-april-2017-march-2018), 135,000 dwellings (10 per cent) used oil as their primary heating fuel in 2017-18. These figures also use published Household estimates (https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Housing/Households/Estimates/households-by-localauthority-year) for the number of households. In Northern Ireland, as reported in the Northern Ireland Housing Statistics 526,190 dwellings (67.5 per cent) used oil as their primary heating fuel in 2016.

Solar Power

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase solar energy production.

Graham Stuart: The UK’s flagship Contracts for Difference scheme is the main mechanism for incentivising large scale renewable generation, including solar and will move to annual auctions from 2023, helping further to accelerate the deployment of clean, low-cost generation. The Smart Export Guarantee ensures small-scale low-carbon electricity generators, such as homes or small businesses installing solar panels, get payment for electricity they export to the grid. The Government has removed VAT on residential solar panels and is providing financial incentives to encourage businesses to install rooftop solar. The Government is exploring options to facilitate low-cost finance to help households with installation costs and reviewing permitted development rights to support deployment in commercial settings.

Solar Power

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential role of solar energy generation in tackling the (a) climate and (b) cost of living crisis.

Graham Stuart: Solar is a key part of the UK’s energy mix and the Government’s strategy for decarbonising the electricity system by 2035. The Government needs sustained growth in both rooftop and ground mounted capacity in the next decade to support delivery of net zero. Utility scale solar is now one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation. Deploying more home grown solar will help limit household electricity bills and ensure Britain is less affected by fluctuations in volatile global gas prices.

Energy: Standing Charges

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of equalising standing charges in the UK to assist with tackling regional disparities in the cost of energy bills.

Graham Stuart: The standing charge element of an energy bill reflects the on-going costs that fall on energy suppliers to provide and maintain a live supply regardless of a consumer’s usage. One component of these costs relates to distribution. As it costs more to distribute electricity to some regions than others, there are regional variations in standing charges to reflect higher costs to serve. Under the Energy Price Guarantee, average standing charges for customers on default tariffs will remain capped in line with the levels set (in Great Britain) by Ofgem for the default tariff cap from 1 October. Standing charges for households in Northern Ireland will also be unaffected.

Fracking

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on fracking that include a requirement for operators to underwrite universal assurance schemes to compensate for any property damage incurred due to their operations.

Graham Stuart: UK onshore gas producers are required to confirm that they have an insurance policy, or comparable provision, in place that will cover required remedial work.

Housing Associations: Energy Price Guarantee

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Energy Price Guarantee will support housing associations that have fixed business electricity contracts for multi-occupancy buildings where the costs are billed to tenants alongside their rent.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. Housing associations on eligible non-domestic tariffs will be covered by the scheme and will need to make sure the benefits of the scheme are passed onto tenants in a reasonable and proportionate way.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Impact Assessments

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the criteria published on the Department for Work and Pension website which sets out that people are eligible for the warm homes discount only if they receive the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit, certain means-tested benefits or tax credits, whether any impact assessment was carried out before setting those criteria.

Graham Stuart: The Government consulted on the future of the scheme for England and Wales https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-better-targeted-support-from-2022 last summer and published Impact Assessments alongside the consultation and Government Response. The Government also consulted on the scheme in Scotland https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-scotland this spring and published supporting analysis.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to inform people who do not receive means-tested benefits that they are not eligible to receive the warm homes discount.

Graham Stuart: From this winter, the Government will reform the Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales. The Government is writing to households who are eligible to receive a rebate automatically, as well as households who need to call a helpline to determine if they are eligible. There will be an online eligibility checker to help people understand if they may be eligible, and the Government is sharing information on the new scheme with energy suppliers and charities. There is a separate Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland. The Government will write to eligible households who are in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, while other low-income households should check with their energy supplier how they may apply.

Shipping: Energy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will hold discussions with maritime sector representatives on (a) the potential impact of trends in the level of energy costs on and (b) ensuring the supply of fuel to that sector.

Graham Stuart: My Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Science and Investment Security will be meeting with representatives from the maritime sector for a general introduction in the near future.The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.

Energy: Conservation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons his Department has not launched a public information campaign on saving energy.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s Help for Household campaign aims to increase the public’s awareness of support available to help with energy bills. The campaign website explains the range of Government support available, including the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bills Support Scheme. It also provides homeowners with energy efficiency recommendations that could help save them hundreds of pounds a year. The Government will look at how Help for Households can signpost the public to information on how to cut their energy bills further. The Government is also working with energy suppliers to ensure that support is available to their customers.

Energy: Storage

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the positive merits of thermal storage technologies; and if he will bring forward (a) legislative proposals and (b) associated policies to support them.

Graham Stuart: As set out in the Heat and Buildings Strategy, flexible use of energy, including through the use of thermal storage, can help create a cost-effective, efficient and secure energy system. The Government is supporting the development of novel thermal storage technologies through the Net Zero Innovation Programme, the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, the long duration energy storage competition and at universities through research council funding; for example, through the “Heat Pump Fully Integrated with Thermochemical Store” innovation work at the University of Warwick. This will help inform future policy on such technologies.

Renewable Energy: Storage

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the UK's ability to harness its renewable energy production through the use of (a) smart thermal storage heaters, (b) batteries, and (c) other existing energy storage technologies.

Graham Stuart: The Government published analysis which examined future requirements of flexible low carbon technologies including electricity storage and flexible heating alongside the joint BEIS and Ofgem Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transitioning-to-a-net-zero-energy-system-smart-systems-and-flexibility-plan-2021). Additionally, as part of our response to the Call for Evidence on Large Scale Long Duration Electricity Storage from Aug 2022, the Government published external analysis (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefits-of-long-duration-electricity-storage) the role that long-duration electricity storage could play in the system.

Zoos: Energy

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will provide additional financial support for energy costs to zoos.

Graham Stuart: The details of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme were announced on 21 September 2022, the scheme will initially run for 6 months covering energy use from 1st October 2022 until 31st March 2023. The scheme applies to all non-domestic energy customers, including zoos who are on eligible contracts.

Biofuels and Solid Fuels: Social Rented Housing

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what actions his department are taking to ensure social housing residents who use (a) biomass, and (b) solid fuel, as their source of heating or hot water are able to access the £100 off-grid energy financial support payment.

Graham Stuart: The Government is aiming to make this process as simple as possible for customers. Households eligible for these payments in Great Britain will receive £100 as a credit on their electricity bill this winter. For Northern Ireland the Government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the payment could be delivered via electricity bills under a similar delivery model to Energy Bills Support Scheme. Households who are eligible for but who do not receive the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier for example, will receive the £100 via the AFP Alternative Fund which will be provided by a designated body.

Private Rented Housing: Energy Bills Rebate

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) a fine or (b) other financial deterrent to ensure landlords do not withhold the energy rebates from their tenants.

Graham Stuart: The legislation states that intermediaries must pass the benefits to the end user. Fines will not be issued if the intermediary fails to pass on support within a specified period, instead the end user will be able to pursue recovery of benefits as a debt, through civil proceedings. The Government will introduce regulations with further details in due course.

Energy: Meters

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of the involvement of Chinese state-owned manufacturers in the rollout of smart meters across the UK.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is aware of Kaifa Technology’s role in the rollout of smart meters in the UK.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has been made of the potential risk of China Electronics Corporation’s role in the rollout of smart meters across the UK.

Graham Stuart: Smart metering infrastructure in Great Britain has been developed in close coordination with industry security experts and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure the most robust security controls are in place. The system includes rigorous safeguards that are resilient to the global nature of supply chains. This includes a requirement that certain key smart metering system security controls are provided and maintained within the UK. Smart meters require certification under the NCSC’s Commercial Product Assurance Scheme (CPA) prior to being installed by energy suppliers.

Park Homes: Energy

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will announce further details on the financial support allocated to those living in park homes facing increasing energy bills.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for St Albans on 22nd September to Question 48498.

Fuel Oil: Schools

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to provide specific support on the cost of energy to schools which use heating oil to heat their buildings.

Graham Stuart: Support will be provided for non-domestic customers, including schools, that use alternative fuels, such as heating oil, instead of gas for heating. Further details will be announced shortly.

Energy: Price Caps

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the energy price cap on (a) cost incentives and (b) carbon emissions arising from the use of storage heaters.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Price Guarantee scheme, which the Government implemented on the 1st October, reduces the cost of electricity and gas meaning that consumers can expect to pay well below the price cap figure of £3,549 for a typical dual fuel household. The EPG does not incentivise increased energy use. Even with the EPG in place energy prices remain significantly above historic levels, incentivising consumers to use energy prudently. The Department will closely monitor the impact of prices on consumption over the months ahead and is actively considering how storage heaters are affected by the guarantee.

Energy: Contracts

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of customers on fixed term energy contracts who entered those contracts before April 2022.

Graham Stuart: The Department does not collect this information. Ofgem, the independent industry regulator, publishes information about the number of domestic gas and electricity customers with fixed term energy contracts with each supplier: ofgem.gov.uk/energy-data-and-research/data-portal/retail-market-indicators.

Natural Gas: Safety

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2022 to Question 45900 on Natural Gas: Safety, if he will (a) make an estimate of the average costs of capping a gas main to enable the installation of carbon free energy systems, and (b) make an assessment of the potential impact of those costs on the ability of owners of properties connected to the gas mains to afford to install carbon free energy systems; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of allowing suppliers to require customers to meet those costs.

Graham Stuart: The cost of capping a gas main when a customer decides they do not want to continue to use gas for cooking or heating will depend upon the costs the supplier incurs to provide the service requested. It is a commercial matter for the supplier to decide whether to pass on those costs to the customer. The customer may ask for a breakdown of the costs and then compare what other suppliers charge for this service. If they find a cheaper supplier, they can switch supply and then request the service.

Fuel Oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Prices

Victoria Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to provide further support in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme payment and the £100 one-off payment announced on 21 September, for households that are reliant on domestic heating oil and LPG.

Graham Stuart: In addition to the £400 support from the Energy Bill Support Scheme and the £100 one off Alternative Fuel Payment, households reliant on domestic heating oil and LPG, but who use electricity for their other energy needs, will benefit from the electricity component of the Energy Price Guarantee.

Energy: Meters

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when annual prepayment meter electricity statistics for (a) local authorities, (b) Lower Layer Super Output Areas, (c) Middle Layer Super Output Areas and (d) postcodes in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland will be updated.

Graham Stuart: BEIS produced a one-off publication of annual prepayment meter electricity statistics in March 2019 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-prepayment-meter-statistics). There are no current plans to update this publication.

Energy Price Guarantee

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department will extend the energy price cap to include (a) LPG, (b) heating oil and (c) solid fuel.

Graham Stuart: The Government has no plans to introduce a price cap on alternative fuels.

Land Use: Biofuels

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) whether his Department has assessed the extent to which Defra’s proposed land use framework will utilise (i) nature-based carbon sequestration and (ii) bioenergy with carbon capture & storage technology (BECCS) to meet net zero targets; and (b) if he will publish modelling of the relative cost of meeting the UK’s 4th, 5th and 6th carbon budgets using different ratios of nature restoration and BECCS.

Graham Stuart: The Food Strategy stated that the Government will publish a Land Use Framework for England in 2023. This will set out principles to ensure food security is balanced alongside climate and environment outcomes. The Government is seeking to make the best use of the limited supply of land in England. The Government’s approach to bioenergy with carbon capture and storage will be set out in the forthcoming biomass strategy. The Net Zero Strategy set out a range of pathways to reaching net zero, and BEIS and Defra are working together to understand the interaction between our policies.

District Heating

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support households that receive heating from heat networks.

Graham Stuart: The Government has announced unprecedented support within its Growth Plan to protect households and businesses from high energy prices, which includes those on heat networks. The Government has provided £400 through the Energy Bills Support Scheme, as well the Energy Price Guarantee which will support millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs, and they will continue to do so from now until April next year. This is on top of a further £800 one-off support provided to eight million of the most vulnerable households to help with the cost of living. The Government will continue to monitor the prices of fuels and will consider further intervention if required to protect UK households from extraordinary fuel prices.

Energy: Prices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to provide additional support for dual fuel heated homes.

Graham Stuart: Dual fuel heated homes will benefit from the support offered through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which limits the price households pay per unit of gas and electricity they use, and the Energy Bills Support (EBSS) scheme which provides a £400 non-repayable Government discount to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. No support beyond EPG and EBSS is planned for dual fuel heated homes.

Northern Ireland Office

COE Parliamentary Assembly: Republic of Ireland

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the contribution made by the President of Ireland which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 11 October 2022.

Mr Steve Baker: We are proud to have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The UK is committed to its membership of the Council of Europe, and to its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement contains safeguards to protect the rights of all sections of the community. The UK Government is steadfastly committed to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and the institutions and rights established by it.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Exeter constituency as of 14 October 2022.

Will Quince: As of 14 October, 11 or 78.6% of general practitioner surgeries in Exeter were rated as ‘good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission.

Health: Batley and Spen

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle health inequality in Batley and Spen constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of the numbers of primary schools in (a) Stockport constituency (b) Stockport borough and (c) Greater Manchester taking part in the Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Food: Labelling

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of calorie labelling on menus on people with (a) eating disorders and (b) forms of body dysmorphia, and what steps her Department took to limit the potential negative impacts of that policy on those groups.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Blood: Donors

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that there are sufficient supplies of blood for use in transfusions and operations.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Streatham.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Jarrow

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Jarrow constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Food Poverty

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October to Question 62043 on Malnutrition: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the data on household food security collected as part of the Department of Work and Pensions annual Family Resources Survey.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Jarrow

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Jarrow constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the average waiting time for an ambulance in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Streatham as of October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency in 2010.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

PA Consulting Group

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide a breakdown of the payments made by her Department to PA Consulting Services Ltd on 12 July 2022; and publish the (i) contracts to which those payments are associated and (ii) details of the process by which those contracts were agreed.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of recent trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle health inequality in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HIV Infection: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Finasteride

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of potential disruption to the supply of finasteride.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Bootle

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Bootle constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Podiatry: Bootle

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made (a) podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in Bootle constituency and (b) the impact these vacancies will have on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tourette's Syndrome: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that specialist medical services for Tourette's syndrome are accessible to people in the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Wirral South constituency as of 17 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Coroners

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2022 to Question 150276 on Coroners: Perinatal Mortality, when her Department plans to publish their response to the Consultation on Coronial Investigations of Stillbirths.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Nottingham South constituency as of 17 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Easington constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Easington constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Chesterfield constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Chesterfield constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide the resources necessary to the MHRA to achieve the UK’s HealthTech regulatory ambition.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer: West Ham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of the take up of breast cancer screening services in West Ham constituency in the most recent period for which data is available.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Digital Technology and Health Services: Regulation

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will support the healthtech sector by prioritising the development of domestic assurance routes that will allow recognition of approvals in the (a) Medical Device Single Audit Programme (MDSAP), (b) ACCESS consortium and (c) other trusted jurisdictions.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Monkeypox: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2022 to Question 59515 on Monkeypox: Vaccination, what assessment the Government made of the level of (a) risk and (b) UK preparedness for a potential increase in the rate of Monkeypox infections prior to the decision not to procure additional doses of the vaccine for that disease.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October to Question 60971 on malnutrition, for what reasons her Department have not made an assessment of trends in the levels of malnutrition in the UK; and if her Department will make an assessment of those trends.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tobacco

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) she and (b) her officials have had discussions with Downing Street Chief of Staff on tobacco control.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Memory Clinics: Staff

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of additional members of staff Memory Assessment Services will require to (a) clear the backlog of referrals to Memory Assessment Services and (b) recover the dementia diagnosis rate in England to the national target rate of 66.7%.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Chief Medical Officer: Annual Reports

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Chief Medical Office plans to publish his annual report for 2022.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bone Diseases and Rickets

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of (a) rickets and (b) osteomalacia in the UK; and what assessment she has made of any regional variances in the prevalence of those conditions.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what methods her Department uses to monitor trends in the levels of malnutrition across the population in England.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition: West Ham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in West Ham constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Exeter constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Exeter constituency as of 14 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Stretford and Urmston constituency as of 31 March 2022.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Putney constituency as of September 2022.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Liverpool Wavertree constituency as of 13th October 2022.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services. The Care Quality Commission publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ that determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are, treating people with respect and involving them in their care, providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs, caring for people safely and protecting them from harm, staffing and quality and suitability of managementThe CQC’s website allows the public to search by service type and location to find local dentists and their profiles, which display their regulatory performance and inspection reports.

NHS Blood and Transplant: Vacancies

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the level of staff vacancies at NHS Blood and Transplant as of 13 October 2022; and whether her Department is taking steps to help reduce the level of those vacancies.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Blood: Shortages

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the number of operations that will need to be cancelled due to the shortage of blood supplies in NHS England.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: West Ham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the demand for mental health services among (a) young people in West Ham and (b) young people trying to exit gangs in West Ham; and what assessment she has made of whether that demand is being met.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Bristol East

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of NHS dentist provision in Bristol East constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Bristol East

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to mental health services in Bristol East constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Surgery: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Exeter constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Nottingham South constituency as of 17th October 2022.

Will Quince: As of 17 October 2022, 13 or 86.7% of general practitioner practice locations in the Nottingham South are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

Breast Cancer: Jarrow

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Jarrow constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

Diabetes: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in York Local Authority District in each year from 2016 to 2020, by diabetes type. Type 1Type 2 and other201630395201730480201825565201930410202035400 Source: National Diabetes Audit (NDA)Notes:A person may have more than one diabetes diagnosis within the NDA. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in this analysis.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2 and other’ within the NDA. ‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 1 diabetes in the NDA. ‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the NDA.

Diabetes: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Chesterfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Chesterfield constituency in each year from 2016 to 2020, by diabetes type. Type 1Type 2 and other201610350201720475201815765201925450202015440 Source: National Diabetes Audit (NDA)Notes:A person may have more than one diabetes diagnosis within the NDA. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2 and other’ within the NDA. ‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 1 diabetes in the NDA. ‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the NDA.

Pharmacy: Closures

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Protecting the UK Public Interests in NHS Community Pharmacy published in September 2022, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of that report's findings on community pharmacy closures.

Will Quince: We are monitoring pharmacy closures and the impact on access to pharmaceutical services. Access remains good with 80% of the population living within 20 minutes’ walk of a pharmacy and double the number of pharmacies in more deprived areas. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 commits £2.592 billion per year. On 22 September, following negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, we announced a non-recurrent additional investment of £100 million.Future planning for the sector following the conclusion of the five-year deal will be informed by a range of evidence, including information provided by the sector representative organisations.

General Practitioners: Batley and Spen

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Batley and Spen constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Batley and Spen. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Batley and Spen.

General Practitioners: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Chesterfield constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Chesterfield. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Dental Services: Bootle

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Bootle constituency.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Bootle constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Bootle.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in York. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

General Practitioners: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help (i) tackle patient backlogs and (ii) reduce workloads in GP surgeries in Easington constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Easington. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Easington.

General Practitioners: Batley and Spen

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Batley and Spen constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Batley and Spen. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Breast Cancer: Bootle

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Bootle constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

General Practitioners: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Wirral South constituency as of 17 October 2022.

Will Quince: As of 17 October, 10 or 100% of general practitioner practice locations in the Wirral South are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

Dental Services: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Chesterfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction as a result of decay in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in each of the last five years.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last five years.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 have been admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction as a result of decay in Warrington North constituency in each of the last five years.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency in each of the last five years.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of (a) four and (b) 11 were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Leeds North West constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: This information is not held in the format requested.

General Practitioners: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Stretford and Urmston constituency as of 31 March 2022.

Will Quince: As at 1 April 2022, 10 or 90.9% of general practitioner practices in Stretford and Urmston were rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

General Practitioners: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency in 2010.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission did not rate providers in 2010 and began rating National Health Service trusts in 2013. This approach was extended to other parts of the health and care system in 2015.

Dental Services: Jarrow

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Jarrow constituency.

Will Quince: In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Jarrow.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Streatham as of October 2022.

Will Quince: As of October 2022, 12 or 100% of general practitioner practice locations in Streatham are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

General Practitioners: Batley and Spen

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Batley and Spen constituency (a) on 17 October 2022 and (b) what that number was in 2013.

Will Quince: There were 17 practices registered in Batley and Spen in September 2013 and in October 2022.

Antibiotics: Prescriptions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to enable pharmacies to prescribe anti-biotics to patients without those patients visiting a GP first.

Will Quince: Within their competence, pharmacists with a prescribing qualification can prescribe medicines and this is in use in general practice and hospitals. With safeguards such as decision support tools to mitigate the risk of antimicrobial resistance, pharmacists could safely prescribe antibiotics.

Dentistry

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders on ensuring there is an adequate number of NHS dentists available in (a) Slough constituency, (b) the South East and (c) England; and what steps she is taking to ensure adequate levels of NHS dentists in those areas.

Will Quince: There is ongoing stakeholder engagement on contract reform, recruitment and retention. This includes discussions with the General Dental Council (GDC) on legislative proposals to allow greater flexibility to amend its existing international registration processes and explore alternative registration pathways to increase the availability of NHS dentists in England, including in the South East.In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care in England, including in Slough and the South East. The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Exeter constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Exeter. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Exeter.

General Practitioners: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Exeter constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Exeter. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

Blood: Donors

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to allow walk-in visits for NHS blood donations.

Will Quince: NHS Blood and Transplant uses an appointments system to ensure required range of blood types are received to meet demand from hospitals, increase efficiency, reduce the number of donor deferrals and limit blood stock wastage. NHS Blood and Transplant is currently allocating priority appointments to O negative and O positive donors due to increased demand for these blood groups.NHS Blood and Transplant collects more blood donations through planned donor appointments as it can prioritise existing donors and ensures that people are ready to donate in advance.

Pharmacy: Finance

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has provided to communities pharmacies through the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in real terms accounting for inflation in each year since 2019.

Will Quince: The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 commits £2.592 billion per year to community pharmacy. The following table shows the nominal and real terms funding accounting for inflation in each year since 2018/19.  Nominal fundingSeptember 2022 gross domestic product deflatorReal funding2018/19 baseline£2.592 billion100.0£2.592 billion2019/20£2.592 billion102.6£2.526 billion2020/21£2.592 billion109.2£2.374 billion2021/22£2.592 billion108.7£2.385 billion2022/23£2.592 billion113.1£2.293 billion In addition, the agreement with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee for 2022/23 and 2023/24, announced on 22 September 2022, provides a non-recurrent additional investment of £100 million.

Care Homes: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Exeter constituency as of 14 October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: As of 14 October, 26 or 81.3% of care homes in Exeter constituency were rated ‘good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission.

Dental Services: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Chesterfield constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Chesterfield. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Chesterfield.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Dental Services: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Chesterfield constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Chesterfield. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Chesterfield.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Care Homes: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Exeter constituency since 2017.

Neil O'Brien: Since January 2017, nine care homes in Exeter constituency have been deactivated. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. The ‘deactivated’ locations exclude care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration. This could be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Care Homes: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Streatham as of October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: As of 17 October 2022, 27 or 81.8% of care homes in the Streatham constituency are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

Memory Clinics: Staff

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people work in Memory Assessment Services in England.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners: Bradford South

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of GP appointments that were conducted face-to-face in Bradford South constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, in the 12 months to August 2022, there were 15.7 million general practice appointments in the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 67.8% were conducted face-to-face.

General Practitioners: Bradford South

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of GP appointments there were in Bradford South constituency in (a) the last 12 months and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, in the 12 months to August 2022, there were 15.7 million general practice appointments in the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 67.8% were conducted face-to-face.

Blood: Donors

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of the increase in demand from sickle cell disease patients, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage donors of Black heritage to give blood.

Will Quince: NHS Blood and Transplant has regular planned activity to recruit more black heritage donors. It has improved access to blood donation appointments to attract more donors through providing priority appointments and opening more sessions in London where there are higher black heritage populations.During Black Heritage Month, NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a new campaign ‘Not Family, But Blood’ to encourage more blood donors of black heritage by highlighting the number of donations needed to treat sickle cell patients. NHS Blood and Transplant will share statistics and donor and patient stories in print and digital channels during the campaign.NHS Blood and Transplant is also launching the fifth Community Investment Scheme in November. The Scheme aims to increase support for donation amongst black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic communities. The Scheme funds community and faith and belief organisations to improve awareness, understanding and behaviour change.

General Practitioners: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Chesterfield constituency.

Will Quince: As of 13 October 2022, seven or 77.8% of general practitioner practices in Chesterfield are rated by CQC as ‘good’ overall.

General Practioners: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency (i) on 13 October 2022 and (ii) in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013, there were 15 practices registered in York Central and six practices in outer York. In October 2022, six practices are registered in York Central and five practices are registered in outer York.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice closes, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.

General Practitioners: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department has provided to GP surgeries in Eltham constituency to help tackle increased workloads.

Will Quince: We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Eltham. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Eltham.

General Practitioners: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to provide additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help reduce (i) patient backlogs and (ii) workloads in GP surgeries in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

General Practitioners: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices are open in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Constituency as of 11 October; and how many were open in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013, there were 21 practices registered in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, with 18 practices registered in October 2022.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not mean a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.

NHS: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Exeter constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Exeter.

General Practitioners: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments that took place in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Constituency in the past 12 months; and how many took place in 2013.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP appointments in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency were conducted face-to-face (a) in the past 12 months, and (b) in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, in the 12 months to August 2022, there were 8.29 million general practice appointments in South Yorkshire Integrated Care System, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 67.7% were conducted face-to-face.

NHS: Complaints

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making public complaints data held by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to allow the public to understand the performance of their local NHS body on dealing with complaints.

Will Quince: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) produces quarterly reports on the number of complaints received for each acute National Health Service trust in England. The PHSO publishes annual data on these complaints and the decisions made online.

NHS: Complaints

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the risk of litigation on the ability of the NHS to adequately resolve complaints.

Will Quince: The National Health Service complaints process is independent of any litigation process. NHS Resolution’s research indicates that poor complaints handling and a perceived failure of providers to undertake meaningful investigations and apologies can lead to the pursuit of a claim. The Department has worked with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to improve the NHS complaints standards and support NHS organisations to provide a faster and simpler complaint handling service, with a focus on early resolution of complaints.

NHS: Complaints

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising NHS complaints processes to help ensure that (a) apologies are made and (b) learnings are implemented at an earlier stage of the process.

Will Quince: When responding to complaints, National Health Service organisations are required to include information on what remedial action is needed and to confirm that any action identified as a result of the complaint has been or will be taken.

Podiatry: South Shields

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made (a) podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in South Shields constituency and (b) the impact these vacancies will have on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.

Robert Jenrick: No specific assessment has been made and this information is not collected in the format requested.

Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: EU Law

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, whether EU-derived regulations which restrict the marketing and distribution of tobacco and vaping products will be transferred into UK law and not lapse on 31 December 2023.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Government is currently reviewing how the powers provided by the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill can be used, including which retained law should be repealed, reformed or preserved. Any such reforms to tobacco control will not reduce the United Kingdom’s current standards. Maintaining patient safety and public health will remain paramount and the Government continues to work with a range of organisations and stakeholders.

Care Homes: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Nottingham South constituency as of 17 October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: As of 17 October 2022, 12 or 75% of care homes in the Nottingham South are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

Care Homes: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Stretford and Urmston constituency since January 2020.

Neil O'Brien: Since January 2020, four care homes in Stretford and Urmston have been ‘deactivated’. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. These locations exclude care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration, which may be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Carers: Pay

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average wage of a shared lives carer has been in each of the last ten years.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

Care Homes: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency in 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The Care Quality Commission did not rate providers in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough in 2010.

Social Services: Washington and Sunderland West

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Washington and Sunderland West constituency.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Weaver Vale constituency.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Exeter constituency.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities have a responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to ensure that the care needs of the local population are met.

Social Services: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Wirral South constituency.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Batley and Spen constituency.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities have a responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to ensure that the care needs of the local population are met.

Care Homes: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of residential care homes that have closed in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Constituency since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: Since May 2010, 11 care homes have been ‘deactivated’ in Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough. The Care Quality Commission records care homes which have closed as ‘deactivated’. These locations excludes care homes where the provider continues to operate under a new, separate registration, which may be due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider.

Continuing Care: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to address errors that have occurred in the continuing health care assessments.

Neil O'Brien: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for decisions on eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare based on the recommendation of a multidisciplinary team, which includes health and social care professionals. Those decisions are made in accordance with the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care.NHS England holds ICBs to account for how these responsibilities are discharged, including ensuring there is a timely assurance process. In addition, where an individual disagrees with the outcome of an assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare, there is a three-stage appeals process.

Midwives: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in York Central. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Carers: Low Incomes

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of inflation on unpaid carers.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Social Workers

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2022 to Question 53439 on Social Workers, when the forthcoming Charging Reform Impact Assessment is due to be published.

Neil O'Brien: The Charging Reform consultation stage Impact Assessment was published in January 2022.

Surgery: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Easington constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Easington. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Care Homes: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Wirral South constituency as of 17 October 2022.

Neil O'Brien: As of 17 October 2022, 17 or 56.7% of care homes in Wirral South are currently rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘good’ overall.

NHS: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Stretford and Urmston.

HIV Infection: Hammersmith

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Hammersmith constituency in each of the last 5 five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: This information is not collected in the format requested.

HIV Infection: Ealing North

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with HIV in Ealing North in each of the last 5 five years.

Dr Caroline Johnson: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Midwives: Chesterfield

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Chesterfield constituency.

Robert Jenrick: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is carried out at trust level.In 2022, we are investing an additional £127 million in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Chesterfield. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021, to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Life Expectancy: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of life expectancy in Easington constituency.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made. ‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives through ensuring access to health services which prevent ill-health. Further information on measures to address health disparities will be available in due course.

Obesity: Preventive Medicine

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to her Answer of 28 September to Question 51479, why she has not met with obesity prevention charities and organisations since her appointment.

Dr Caroline Johnson: There have been no specific meetings due to diary commitments.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that NHS England patients who have previously lived in and received covid-19 vaccinations in the devolved nations can use the National Booking Service for booster vaccinations.

Dr Caroline Johnson: Data sharing agreements between England and devolved administrations allow COVID-19 vaccination records to be transferred and updated when required and subject to an individual’s consent. Once an vaccination record for patients within NHS England is updated to reflect COVID-19 vaccinations in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, individuals can use the National Booking Service or 119 to arrange further doses in England. This is subject to the individual's eligibility for an additional dose or doses.A service is available for individuals to correct their COVID-19 vaccination record where they have received COVID 19 vaccination outside of England and where data has not been transferred.

Healthy Start Scheme: Telephone Services

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of calls to the Healthy Start helpline were abandoned as a result of lines being busy in each of the last six months for which data is available.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Life Expectancy

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains her policy to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy between areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains the Government's policy to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy between areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030.

Dr Caroline Johnson: ‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services in all areas and preventing ill-health. Further information on measures to address health disparities will be available in due course.

Health Promotion Taskforce

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Health Promotion Taskforce will meet before the end of 2022.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Health Promotion Taskforce will meet before the end of 2022.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Health Promotion Taskforce will meet before the end of 2022.

Dr Caroline Johnson: An updated Cabinet committee structure has been agreed to deliver the Government’s priorities. The committees can discuss a wide range of policy areas as relevant to the terms of reference. The Health Promotion Taskforce is not included in this updated structure.However, as set out in ‘Our plan for patients’, we will work with cross-Government partners and the National Health Service to address preventable ill-health. Further information on measures to address health disparities will be available in due course.

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the findings of Exercise Alice were not published following the outbreak of covid-19; and whether details of that exercise were provided to advisory committees involved in the Government's response to that outbreak.

Dr Caroline Johnson: The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises. Exercise Alice was not intended to test elements of preparedness for a pandemic scale event, but to assess the United Kingdom’s readiness for a potential outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a High Consequence Infectious Disease. MERS-CoV, which causes MERS, is a different virus to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.The recommendations from Exercise Alice informed updates to guidance for the health and social care system on the management of patients with MERS and on infection prevention and control for healthcare professionals. These were published as updates to guidance on MERS-CoV prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-mers-cov-clinical-management-and-guidance

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on the 28 September 2022 to Question 51481, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of repealing the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

Dr Caroline Johnson: No specific assessment has been made.

NHS: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Easington constituency.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Nottingham South constituency.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Wirral South constituency.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough constituency.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Streatham.

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Easington, Streatham, Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, Nottingham South and Wirral South.

Long Covid: Research

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the findings of Twomey et al published in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal volume on 13 January 2022 concerning chronic fatigue and postexertional malaise in people living with long covid.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made.

Dental Services: Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to NHS dental services in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Bermondsey and Old Southwark. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Bermondsey and Old Southwark.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Radiation Exposure

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take additional steps to ensure the nuclear preparedness of England’s acute hospital trusts.

Will Quince: Acute, specialist, mental health and community National Health Service providers are required to have planning arrangement in place for the management of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. Assurance of these arrangements are sought as part of the NHS England emergency preparedness, resilience and response annual assurance process against core standards.

Dental Services: Rotherham

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Rotherham constituency as of June 2022.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services.

North East London Outreach Dental Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with North East London Outreach Dental Services about access to dental care.

Will Quince: There have been no specific discussions.In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in North East London.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

Dental Services: Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough Constituency.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: Greater London

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of NHS GPs in London in each of the past five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice in London in each of the last five years.June 20225,282June 20215,251June 20205,192June 20195,210June 20185,139 Notes:Figures contain estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid records.It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers. Therefore, the latest comparable data available is June 2022.FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. ‘1’ would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.

General Practitioners: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, including in Stretford and Urmston. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workloads, such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and funding to expand the staff roles working in general practice, including in Stretford and Urmston.

General Practitioners

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent General Practitioners were working in the NHS in England in (a) 2016 and (b) 2022.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice as at March 2022 and March 2016.March 202235,988March 201634,744 Notes:Figures contain estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid records.It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers. Therefore, the latest comparable data available is March 2022.FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Figures from the March 2016 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower.

Health: Disadvantaged

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of health inequalities on access to (a) GP appointments and (b) dental care.

Will Quince: Practices should offer a range of access routes to support inclusion and offer patients the choice of contact by telephone, in person or using a secure online form. Local areas commission community dental services for those who may be unable to access dental care, such as those living in care homes.‘Our plan for patients’, published on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services. In addition, the Department continues to review how health disparities can be addressed and further information will be available in due course.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of 31 March 2022.

David T C Davies: As at 31 March 2022, there are eight people in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales who hold corporate credit cards which allows them to make purchases against the Departmental budget.

Department for Education

Department of Education: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) full time equivalent employees and (b) employees by headcount there are in his Department (i) in total and (ii) in each separate directorate of his Department, as of 17 October 2022.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 22 December 2021 to Question 92909 on Department for Education: Staff, if he will list (a) the directorates within his Department and (b) the (i) staffing in FTE terms, (ii) total headcount and (iii) objectives and responsibilities of each of those directorates, as of 1 December 2021.

Jonathan Gullis: The data on staff numbers working for the Department for Education and its executive agencies, over the last few years, can be found here: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/9a5ace56-cf8e-432a-b87b-50d4ba841641/workforce-management-information-department-for-education.More detailed information on our workforce and structures can be found here: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/5a1f3831-86d6-4979-9164-99e982361ca4/organogram-of-staff-roles-salaries.The data is taken directly from the Department’s HR system and snapshots are provided monthly for the first link and quarterly for the second. Our resources are routinely reviewed to ensure the Department has the right workforce to respond to changing priorities and different operating models for managing staff. Over the period for which the data has been provided, the responsibilities of the Department has changed considerably.

Department of Education: Public Expenditure

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) revenue annually managed expenditure, (b) capital annually managed expenditure, (c) revenue departmental expenditure limit and (d) capital departmental expenditure limit is for each directorate within his Department in the 2022-23 financial year.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department’s revenue and capital annually managed expenditure limits and the revenue and capital departmental expenditure limits are published within the Central Government Supply Estimates 2022/23.The details of these budgets are given by estimate line, which broadly represent the Department’s main areas of spend.The full Main Estimate for 2022/23 can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/main-supply-estimates-2022-to-23.The Department can be located between pages 63 to 80. Specifically:Page 69 - revenue annually managed expenditurePage 69 - capital annually managed expenditurePage 68 - revenue departmental expenditure limitPage 68 - capital departmental expenditure limit.In addition, the department also publishes further details of its spend within the Main Estimate Memorandum. Details of which can be accessed here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/22269/documents/164868/default.

Ofqual: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) full time equivalent employees and (b) employees by headcount there are at Ofqual (i) in total and (ii) in each separate directorate of that department, as of 17 October 2022.

Jonathan Gullis: The table below provides details on the number of employees at Ofqual as at 17 October 2022:DirectorateFTEHeadcountLegal, Strategy, Risk and Markets, Communications, Private Office52.654General Qualifications47.751Regulatory and Corporate Services81.584Standards, Research and Analysis37.839Vocational and Technical Qualifications107.7110Ofqual Total327.2338

Schools: Uniforms

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department will take when a school disregards the recent statutory guidance to keep branded items and logos to a minimum on school uniforms.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to address schools which maintain a single supplier relationship with no competitive tendering for school uniform items.

Jonathan Gullis: In November last year, the Department published statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms after supporting the private members bill, the Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021. The guidance, which came into effect this September, requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and secures best value for money for parents.The Department expects governing boards to now be compliant with the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms. The exceptions to this would be where this would breach a pre-existing agreement or where a competitive tender to set up a new uniform contract is required.Any concerns about a school’s uniform policy should be raised with the school in the first instance, including via the school’s published complaints procedure where necessary.If the school’s published complaints process has concluded with an unsatisfactory outcome, a complaint should be raised with the Department: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school/state-schools.Once a complaint is raised formally with the Department, having already been through the school’s complaints process, the Department will contact the school and then consider whether its uniform policy meets current education legislation. The Department can also consider whether the school’s complaints procedure meets the requirements for complaints processes.

Vocational Education: Coastal Areas

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the provision of technical education and skills in coastal towns; and if he will make a statement.

Andrea Jenkyns: The department is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up across the country, including in coastal areas.This includes more investment for apprenticeships and employers in coastal communities can access funding for apprenticeships to meet their skills needs.We have also launched T Levels, which are world-class programmes developed with over 250 leading employers to the same quality standards as apprenticeships and will ensure more young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. T Levels are already being delivered across the country, including in coastal areas such as Scarborough, Blackpool, Hastings, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.Skills Bootcamps are available online across the country, with training also being delivered in many coastal towns including South Shields (construction, engineering, green skills), North Shields (engineering, green skills), Hartlepool (creative industries), Poole (HGV driving), and Weston-Super-Mare (digital).The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualifications for free. There are over 400 qualifications on offer in areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, alongside many others, which are delivered in all of England’s coastal areas, for example Bournemouth and Poole College and Weston College.The government is also in the process of rolling out employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), together with supporting funding, which will help deliver a key aim of putting employers more firmly at the heart of the skills system. The policy builds on the experience from eight trailblazers, including Cumbria, Kent, Sussex, Tees Valley and West of England, which have coastal towns economies. Developing and delivering a LSIP will be a collaborative process and the expectation is that the plans will provide an agreed set of actionable local skills priorities that employers, providers, and stakeholders in an area can get behind to drive change. By ensuring skills training is more responsive to the needs of employers and local economies, people will more easily be able to develop the skills they need to get good jobs and increase prospects.

Student Loans Company: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Student Loan Company (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Andrea Jenkyns: Staff employed by the Student Loan Company (SLC) have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department. Since March 2020, SLC staff are able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

T-levels: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have completed a T Level qualification in Harlow constituency as of 13 October 2022.

Andrea Jenkyns: T Levels are a two year programme and were first taught in a modest number of providers from September 2020. No T Levels were delivered in Harlow constituency in 2020 and so no students there have yet completed a T Level.Harlow College has been offering T Levels in the constituency since 2021 and the first students will complete their course in 2023.

Office for Students: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Office for Students (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by the Department for Education and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Andrea Jenkyns: Staff employed by the Office for Students have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Schools: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 27 September 2022 to Question 51628 on Schools: Buildings, which schools in Bristol West constituency have one or more buildings classified in Category D of condition need; how long each of those buildings has been classified in that category; and if he will make a statement.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2022 to Question 51633 on Schools: Solar Power, how many school buildings in Bristol West constituency were inspected as part of the Condition Data Programme.

Jonathan Gullis: The Department is preparing detailed analysis of the data collected for the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme and plan to publish the details by the end of the year.The key, high-level findings of the CDC programme, were published in May 2021 in the report ‘Condition of School Buildings Survey – Key Findings’.The report is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989912/Condition_of_School_Buildings_Survey_CDC1_-_key_findings_report.pdf.The Department has no plans to make a statement.

Further Education: Lewisham East

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to address repairs backlogs in further education colleges in Lewisham East constituency.

Andrea Jenkyns: The Further Education Capital Transformation Programme is delivering the £1.5 billion manifesto commitment to upgrade further education (FE) college estates.Through this programme, £200 million was allocated to all FE colleges and designated institutions to undertake immediate remedial work and upgrade the condition of their estates. Lewisham College, which supports learners from the Lewisham East Constituency, is part of Newcastle College Group (NCG). Overall, the NCG group received an allocation of £4,597,902 of capital funding to improve their estate in August 2020. College groups were able to prioritise how and at which sites they could use this funding to tackle immediate condition improvement projects.The next stage of the programme of investment to upgrade the FE estate is due to be announced later this year.

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Andrea Jenkyns: The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is a separate employer to the Department for Education. However, as its employees are civil servants, some of its terms and conditions of employment will be consistent with the department. Staff of the Institute can join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

CITB: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Construction Industry Training Board (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Andrea Jenkyns: Staff employed by the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are not currently able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

T-levels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the conclusions of the Education Select Committee on the availability of industry placements to support T Level qualifications.

Andrea Jenkyns: The department will consider any recommendations that come out of the Education Select Committee’s review. We will continue to listen to key stakeholders to ensure high-quality industry placements can be delivered, in all subjects, throughout England.The department has invested more than £200 million over the past 4 years to help T Level providers build their capacity for placements and develop relationships with local employers. We have put in place bespoke support for both providers and employers which includes direct, hands-on support. We also have a T Level Ambassador Network that is continuing to recruit T Level advocates across key industries to inspire engagement in the T Level programme.

Schools: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to Covid.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the ratio of (a) staff and (b) pupil absences compared to levels of covid-19 in the general population over the period of the covid-19 pandemic.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of levels of (a) covid-19 in the general population, (b) staff absences and (c) pupil absences on the current guidance on covid-19 to schools and parents.

Jonathan Gullis: The Government has moved to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory infections given the high immunity in society, a greater understanding of the virus and improved access to treatments. The Department does not hold information on the potential costs to schools of supply teaching and support staff absences in the autumn term due to COVID-19. Head teachers are best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of pupils and in the case of staff absence, in the first instance schools should follow their usual process for covering absences. The Department previously collected data on staff and pupil absences through the Educational Setting status form (EdSet), which helped to support our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is always mindful of balancing the need for data collections with the burdens we place on those collating it, and since the start of the 2022/23 academic year the EdSet form has been closed and schools are no longer being asked to complete it. Data on attendance in education settings during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here: Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Week 30 2022 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes weekly reports on the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in private residential households, which can be found here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK Statistical bulletins - Office for National Statistics. The Department have also been working to establish a better, more timely flow of pupil level attendance data across schools, trusts, local authorities, without placing any additional administrative burdens on schools. Most state-funded schools across the country have now signed up. This will allow data to be collected directly from all schools’ electronic registers and will help the department, schools, local authorities and trusts to identify pupils who need most support to attend. Attendance reports will help schools and local authorities make better use of attendance data to identify those in need of support earlier, as outlined in the new attendance guidance. They will also help the Department respond to national and regional issues. A report on how the data is used can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/share-your-daily-school-attendance-data.

Children: Washington and Sunderland West

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Washington and Sunderland West constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Bassetlaw constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Bishop Auckland constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Burnley constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Bury North constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in the constituency of Cities of London and Westminster; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Chingford Woodford Green constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Derby North constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Erewash constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Dover constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Hartlepool constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Hastings and Rye constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Gedling constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Ipswich constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Milton Keynes South constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in the constituency of Houghton & Sunderland South; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Hendon constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Leigh constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Milton Keynes North constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Norwich North constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Peterborough constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Plymouth Moor View constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Shipley constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in South Swindon constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Southampton Itchen constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Stroud constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Truro and Falmouth constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Warrington South constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Watford constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in York Outer constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 (ii) 4-11 are living in Brentford and Isleworth constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ofsted-registered childminders are working and (b) children aged (i) 1-3 and (ii) 4-11 are living in (A) York Central constituency and (B) City of York Council area; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in that constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: A breakdown in the number of Ofsted-registered childminders who are working, and the number of children aged 1-3 and 4-11 by parliamentary constituency and local authorities requested, can be found in the attached table. Childminders are generally the most affordable and flexible form of childcare and form an important part of the broader childcare market.Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. At present, all local authorities report that they are fulfilling their duty to ensure sufficient childcare.59316_group_table (xls, 59.0KB)

Ministry of Justice

Independent Monitoring Boards

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) the shortfall in and (b) the potential impact of increasing the level funding in the 2022-23 financial year on, recruitment to Independent Monitoring Boards.

Rob Butler: We value the scrutiny provided by the independent scrutiny bodies, including the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs).In the 2022-23 financial year, we increased the level of funding for the IMBs by £0.44m and provided an additional £0.5m of capital funding. The increases will fund structural developments to improve new member recruitment and retention, for example, through the recruitment of Regional Support Leads, who will play a key role in supporting recruitment to Boards through improving local outreach.Additionally, the development of a new organisational database will provide improvements to member recruitment and retention by replacing the current outdated legacy software and providing better access to member learning and development records, whilst aligning with plans to improve recruitment techniques. We hope this will positively impact the recruitment of board members and we will continue to keep this under review.

Prosecutions: Maladministration

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many errors have been made in cases determined under the single justice procedure in magistrates' courts in each of the last five years; and what errors these were.

Gareth Johnson: There is no definition of what constitutes an error in criminal proceedings and therefore no data is collected.

Upper Tribunal: Land

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which Departments have been party to cases in the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber involving disputes under the Electronic Communications Code in the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: This information relating to which Departments have been party to cases in the Upper Tribunals Lands Chamber involving disputes under the Electronic Communications Code is not centrally recorded and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Forced Marriage

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to (a) create an offence for Predatory Marriages, (b) ensure that no one who is showing insufficient mental capacity marries against their will or unknowingly, and (c) amend the relevant marriages laws so that it does not automatically revoke an existing Will when the marriage is registered.

Gareth Johnson: Under the current law, causing a person who lacks capacity to consent to a marriage is a criminal offence of forced marriage under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, for which the maximum penalty is seven years imprisonment. In relation to wills, the principle in English and Welsh law that marriage has the effect of revoking wills is long established. The issue of whether marriage or civil partnership should invoke automatic revocation of the wills of those involved is being considered as part of a review by the Law Commission on reforming the law of wills. The Government will review the case for reforming the current law when it has received the recommendations in the Law Commission’s final report.

Upper Tribunal: Land

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the Electronic Communications Code 2017 on delays in the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber.

Gareth Johnson: HMCTS keep the performance of the Unified Tribunal System, including the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber, under regular review. The Tribunal continues to meet its target in respect of hearing cases within the prescribed time period.

Ministry of Justice: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s transparency data online publication of spending over £500 using a government procurement card, what was the purpose of the payments made to Everything Branded of (a) £9,236.40 on 27-30 March 2020 and (b) £2,358 on 23 June 2021.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his Department’s transparency data online publication of spending over £500 using a government procurement card, what was the purpose of the payment of £5,787.30 made to PrivateFly Ltd. on 30 April 2021.

Rachel Maclean: The payments made to the merchant ‘EVERYTHING BRANDED’ were for the following purposes:Transactions on 27 and 30 March 2020 were for hand sanitizer for prison establishments.Transactions on 23 June 2021 were for water bottles, badges and note pads for staff.The payment to the merchant ‘PRIVATEFLY LTD’ was for a private flight for a prisoner transfer to Ireland.We are content that the referenced payments were subject to normal MoJ controls and in line with government procurement card policy and was an appropriate use of public money.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Visits Abroad

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) special advisers and (b) other civil servants accompanied her on her visit to New York on 28 and 29 September 2022.

Sir James Duddridge: On my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s first visit to New York on 28 and 29 September 2022 to deliver a keynote address at the Atlantic Future Forum and undertake a wider trade visit programme, she was accompanied by a Private Secretary, a Press Secretary and a Special Adviser.

UK Trade with EU: Telephone Services

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2022 to Question 51512 on UK Trade with EU: Telephone Services, how many phone calls were made to the Export Support Service (a) inside and (b) outside its core operating hours between 20 and 30 September 2022; how many and what proportion of those calls were (i) resolved using the knowledge bank and (ii) referred to the digital enquiry team; and how many of those calls related to trade with (A) Ukraine, (B) Russia and (C) Belarus.

Mr Marcus Fysh: Between the 20 and 30 September, 138 number of calls were received by the service during core operating hours. Of these calls, 95 users indicated they were calling about trading with Europe, and 43 users indicated they were calling about trade with Russia, Ukraine or Belarus. On the 10 October the ESS Helpline service was replaced by the facility to arrange a call back with a DIT trade specialist, leveraging the recently in-housed International Trade Advisors. This has allowed DIT to switch to an integrated model across our services. The Export Support Digital Enquiry Service, which can be accessed via gov.uk, will continue to function as we seek positively to adapt our offer.

Department for International Trade: Ethnic Groups

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of staff employed by her Department are from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Sir James Duddridge: As of 31 March 2022, 26% civil service employees in the Department for International Trade (DIT) self-reported their ethnicity as ethnic minority (this does not include White ethnic minorities).

Department for International Trade: Females

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of people employed by her Department are women.

Sir James Duddridge: As of 31 March 2022, 48% of Civil Service employees who worked in the Department for International Trade (DIT) were women.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Salar Abnoush

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the need to apply Magnitsky sanctions against Salar Abnoush.

Gillian Keegan: The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights

Iran: Human Rights

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart on human rights in that country.

Gillian Keegan: The FCDO has designated Iran as a Human Rights Priority Country, we raise human rights on diplomatic channels at all appropriate opportunities, both directly with the Iranian government and in multilateral fora. On 3 October, the Foreign Secretary instructed Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK to be summoned to the FCDO. At the meeting the UK pressed Iran to respect the right to peaceful assembly, exercise restraint, release unfairly detained protestors and to ensure rights for all, including women and girls. We work with our international partners to hold Iran to account, including through the Human Rights Council in Geneva and the UN General Assembly in New York. The UK also maintains a robust sanctions regime targeting 85 individuals and two entities responsible for human rights violations in Iran.

Tigray: War Crimes

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to prevent atrocities in the event that large areas of the Tigray region of Ethiopia that are currently held by the Tigray People's Liberation Front are captured by (a) Government of Ethiopia or (b) Eritrean forces.

Gillian Keegan: The UK is in regular touch with Ethiopian and Tigrayan leaders, the Africa Union's High Representative, and the G7 - pressing for a political solution, humanitarian access, accountability for atrocities and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops. The UK co-sponsored the Resolution at the Human Rights Council that renewed the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia on 7 October and issued a statement alongside members of the International Atrocity Prevention Working Group on 12 October.

Nigeria: Floods

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian support the UK Government is providing Nigeria following recent flooding in that country.

Gillian Keegan: The UK Government is supporting Nigeria through a number of programmes to respond, adapt and build resilience to such events, and is encouraging knowledge exchange between the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Nigerian agencies to help strengthen flood risk management. The UK is providing support through the multi-donor START Fund (startnetwork.org), which allocated £300,000 to Christian Aid in August and £280,000 to Action Against Hunger in October, to support flood-affected people in several states; and also contributes to the Red Cross's Disaster Response Emergency Fund. Longer term, the UK-funded Financial Sector Deepening Africa programme has committed £741,000 for a Flood Resilience Finance project in Lagos. We will continue to encourage international partners to provide further support.

East Africa: Humanitarian Situation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the £156m allocated to the humanitarian crisis in East Africa this year has been disbursed to date.

Gillian Keegan: In Financial Year 2022/23, the UK intends to provide approximately £156 million in humanitarian aid across East Africa. Of this amount, currently at least £93 million has been spent.

Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason his Department is suspending disbursements for aid programmes beyond 31 October 2022.

Gillian Keegan: We are temporarily pausing some aid spending as we review our allocations in light of ongoing crises. Ministers will make any aid adjustments and final aid prioritisation decisions based on additional official development assistance pressures this autumn.

Anoosheh Ashoori and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will follow the steps taken by Canada and impose further sanctions on Iranians involved in the perpetration of torture and State hostage-taking of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.

Gillian Keegan: The UK has over 200 sanctions designations in place against Iran in relation to human rights, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. On 10 October, the UK used the dedicated Iran Human Rights sanctions regime to designate the so-called Morality Police, two of its leaders and five others for serious human rights violations. This brings the total to 85 individuals and two entities sanctioned under that regime. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-historyIt is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.

East Africa: Development Aid

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department’s funding announcements on 19 August and 21 September 2022 for the drought and hunger response in East Africa represent an increase in Official Development Assistance funding or a re-direction of existing UK funding.

Vicky Ford: This financial year 2022/23, the UK intends to provide approximately £156 million in humanitarian aid across East Africa. The £14 million announced on 19 August for World Humanitarian Day forms part of this total. On 21 September at UNGA, the Minister for Development announced £22.8 million to Somalia to respond to the drought, bringing the UK financial year total for Somalia to £53 million for humanitarian, health and nutrition support. This funding was drawn from our humanitarian and other existing budgets.

EU Countries: Passports

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU on the validity for travel of UK passports with less than six months remaining until their expiry date following the UK’s departure from the EU.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign Secretary speaks regularly to his EU and Non-EU counterparts to promote the interests of British citizens. For travel to the Schengen Area, the passports of third-country nationals must be issued less than 10 years before the date the individual enters and be valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave the Schengen Area. We encourage UK passport holders to check their passport meets these requirements before they travel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly updates travel advice on passport requirements in line with guidance from HM Passport Office.

Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a list of disbursements for aid programmes that have been suspended since 1 March 2022.

Vicky Ford: The Government remains committed to transparency and will provide updates to Parliament on spending plans in due course. A final estimate of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), the ODA:Gross National Income ratio and more detailed breakdowns of UK ODA is published annually in Statistics on International Development publications.

Energy Supply: Cross Border Cooperation

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has with his European counterparts on energy (a) security and (b) supply cooperation.

Jesse Norman: We must end Europe's addiction to Russian hydrocarbons and it is right that we talk with our European allies about how we do this. The Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe routinely raise energy security and supply with their European counterparts when they meet. The Prime Minister made energy a top priority when she met European leaders in Prague this autumn.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled Military hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including strikes against settlements and civilian infrastructures, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 10 October 2022.

Leo Docherty: The UK welcomes the sustained cessation of all military activity in recent weeks following the military escalation in early September. Diplomacy remains the only way to resolve the conflict and we welcome the sustained efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan, including in multilateral fora, to engage in substantive negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between them. The work of the Council of Europe and in particular the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in focussing attention on this issue, is much valued by the UK Government.

East Africa: Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much support his Department has provided to (a) Somalia, (b) Kenya, (c) Ethiopia and (d) South Sudan via international climate finance funds to support adaptation and mitigation in each of the past five years.

Vicky Ford: The table below details the UK bilateral international climate finance (ICF) support to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan by year since 2017/18. In addition, the UK provides ICF through multilateral funds such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility and other initiatives through which these countries benefit. Details of all Official Development Assistance programmes are published on the UK's Development Tracker website at https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/ including key activities, finances and geographical focus. 2017/18 ICF spend2018/19 ICF spend2019/20 ICF spend2020/21 ICF spend2021/22 ICF spendTotalEthiopia£ 32,909,160£ 59,609,265£ 52,148,649£ 58,399,643£ 21,085,254£ 224,151,971Kenya£ 39,190,986£ 32,473,412£ 27,352,802£ 15,728,236£ 11,409,917£ 126,155,352Somalia£ 2,415,800£ 1,254,774£ 14,723,626£ 10,157,568£ 17,383,590£ 45,935,358South Sudan£ 10,589,413£ 16,911,731£ 22,223,219£ 11,492,175£ 13,480,024£ 74,696,562Grand Total£ 85,105,359£ 110,249,182£ 116,448,296£ 95,777,621£ 63,358,785£ 470,939,243

Central Africa: Forests

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the UK becoming Chair of the Central African Forests Initiative in June 2023; and which (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department plans to consult on that issue prior to June 2023.

Gillian Keegan: The UK committed £200 million to the Congo Basin at COP26 and is an active partner and board member of the Central African Forests Initiative (CAFI). The UK engages regularly with Central African governments, other donor countries, and civil society on our work in the Congo Basin, and looks forward to continued close working and consultations going forward. Decisions about governance of CAFI are made by the CAFI Board, and the new Chair has not yet been confirmed.

Pakistan: Humanitarian Aid

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the £15 million humanitarian funding pledged to support Pakistan in the aftermath of the floods has come from existing overseas aid programmes.

Gillian Keegan: Of the £16.5 million in funding announced by the UK to support Pakistan's flood relief efforts, £15 million has been drawn from the FCDO's Official Development Assistance budget. The initial £1.5 million pledged by the UK was repurposed from existing humanitarian aid programmes in Pakistan.

India: Visas

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with its Indian counterparts about (a) the potential reinstatement of access for UK nationals to the Indian e-visa system, and (b) normalising visa processes between the UK and India.

Gillian Keegan: We regularly raise our concerns regarding our exclusion from the list of countries eligible for e-visas with the Government of India (GoI). The Prime Minister, whilst Foreign Secretary, raised this matter with the Indian External Affairs Minister during her visit to India in March. We continue to work closely with the GoI on this issue, while respecting it is for them to determine the types and validity of the visas it offers. British nationals can continue to use the GoI's regular/paper visa application services for all visa categories. We will update India Travel Advice with the latest information if there are any changes in India's visa rules.

Pakistan: Floods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will allocate new and additional international climate finance to support the people of Pakistan to rebuild sustainably in the aftermath of the floods.

Gillian Keegan: This catastrophe shows how climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and frequent. The UK secured agreement at COP26 for developed countries to double their provision of climate finance for adaptation by 2025 against 2019 levels. The UK has pledged over £55 million to partner with Pakistan to tackle climate change, manage water more sustainably and unlock climate investment. The UK will continue to engage and influence donors and the international financial institutions to bring forward increased ambition, extended finance and new and updated commitments on adaptation finance in the lead up to COP27.

Pakistan: Gender Based Violence

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings he has had on violence against women and girls in Pakistan in the last 12 months.

Gillian Keegan: We continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan, particularly the most vulnerable, including women, minorities and children, as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards. In the last 12 months, the UK Government has regularly raised the issue of violence against women and girls. Lord Ahmad, as the Minister for South Asia and Minister for Human Rights, last raised our concerns about the human rights situation on 23 June, in his first meeting with Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister for Foreign Affairs. On 17 June, the British High Commissioner in Islamabad met with Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. They discussed issues including forced conversion and child marriage blasphemy laws. Also in June, the British High Commissioner raised forced conversions and forced marriages with Governor of Punjab, Baligh ur Rehman. Domestic violence against women and girls in Pakistan is a focus area in the British High Commission Gender Strategy. We will continue to raise it at the highest levels and we are closely tracking progress on the Domestic Violence bill in Pakistan.

Burkina Faso: Politics and Government

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the secondary coup in Burkina Faso on 30 September 2020; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this secondary coup on (a) the risk of (i) corruption and (ii) human rights abuses by Russia-linked organisations in, (b) the prospects for peacebuilding in northern, (c) the protection of civilians in, (d) human rights abuses in and (e) the (A) timescale and (B) credibility for a transition to civilian democratic government in Burkina Faso.

Gillian Keegan: The UK is monitoring closely the situation in Burkina Faso following the coup on 30 September. I [Minister Keegan] have raised concerns about the impact of the coup with international partners, including the human rights abuses committed by Wagner Group in other countries. President Traoré has stated that he intends to respect the 24-month transition timeline agreed between his predecessor and ECOWAS. The UK supports ECOWAS' efforts to deliver a peaceful and democratic transition of power in Burkina Faso and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to those most in need.

Naseer Ahmad

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made any representations to his Pakistani counterpart on the killing of Mr Naseer Ahmad who was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan.

Gillian Keegan: The UK condemns discrimination and violence against religious communities in Pakistan, including against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.  Lord Ahmad publicly condemned the murders of Naseer Ahmad, in Rabwah, in August, and of Abdus Salam, in Punjab Province, in May. The British High Commissioner in Islamabad raised Mr. Salam's death with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their belief.

Balkans: EU Enlargement

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled Supporting a European perspective for the Western Balkans, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 11 October 2022.

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate entitled Supporting a European perspective for the Western Balkans, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 11 October 2022.

Leo Docherty: The Western Balkans are crucial to UK and European security. We are building closer economic and security ties with the region, to boost jobs and growth and help support a freer, more prosperous and more secure Western Balkans. The government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in this area and notes that recommendations will be sent to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

Vladimir Kara-Murza

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the giving of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to Russian prisoner Vladimir Karma-Murza.

Leo Docherty: Vladimir Kara-Murza is a worthy recipient of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. We should not forget his championing of human rights and freedom in the face of Russian state aggression, or that he has been arrested and imprisoned, and is facing political charges for opposing Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. This prize gives him the international recognition he deserves. We admire his courage, stand by him and call for his release.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Personal Records

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average processing time was for an application for military service records made by a person requesting (a) their own records, (b) the records of a deceased person and (c) other records in each year since 2010.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average processing time was for an application for military service records made by a person requesting their own records in each year since 2010.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average processing time was for an application for military service records made by a person requesting the records of a deceased person in each year since 2010.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average processing time was for an application for military service records made by a person requesting the records of their next of kin in each year since 2010.

Sarah Atherton: The Ministry of Defence takes applications for military service records, including its obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation very seriously.The Department does not hold the average processing time for each year from 2010 for military service records, split into requests for individuals' own military records, records of deceased personnel, other records and requests from next of kin.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: Veterans

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the average amount of time veterans with successful applications to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme have had to wait for payment, in each year from 2010 to 2022.

Sarah Atherton: Statistics on payment times are not routinely recorded as this is a simple process once a decision has been made. However, I can confirm that there are no delays to processing of payments once an eligibility and entitlement decision is reached. Award payments arising from successful applications are processed within 48 hours of the decision being made and the applicant being notified. It can take 7-10 days for the payments to reach the individual's bank account.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: Veterans

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans who have made successful applications to the Armed Forces Compensation scheme are awaiting payment as of 17 October 2022.

Sarah Atherton: There were 50 cases awaiting payment on 17 October 2022. Award payments arising from successful applications are processed within 48 hours of the decision being made and the applicant being notified. It can take 7-10 days for the payments to reach the individual's bank account.

Armed Forces: Finance

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing financial support to service personnel for the transport and accommodation costs incurred as a result of internal assignment orders.

Sarah Atherton: Members of the Armed Forces already have access to a range of generous allowances to ensure that the financial impact of undertaking assignments is minimised and is not unduly burdensome. Support includes Motor Mileage Allowance, for those who use their own private transport; Home to Duty Travel allowance, a non-taxable contribution towards commuting costs; and Duty Travel Allowance, which ensures that the costs of travel for work purposes are met. Defence has also rolled out a number of initiatives in response to the rise in cost-of-living, including a 7% increase to Home to Duty rates. Furthermore, Defence acknowledges Service life can cause disruption and disadvantage when compared to civilian life, which is why X-Factor is included as an addition to Service Personnel's Annual Salary.Defence recognises the inherently mobile, often geographically remote, nature of life in the Armed Forces, which is why our Regular Service and Full Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment) personnel are provided with high quality subsidised accommodation. Those that need to move house because of their Service duties may claim for Disturbance Expenses, as well as Movement and Storage of Personal Effects which entitles them to move and/or store personal effects at public expense when assigned to a new qualifying duty station. Service personnel based overseas may also claim, where eligible, the Overseas Rent Allowance, which reimburses personnel with the necessary cost of rent and utilities for rented accommodation where there is no suitable Service accommodation. Those on a qualifying assignment or operation can claim Council Tax Relief, a contribution towards their Council Tax payments.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: Veterans

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average payment was from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to the (a) spouses and (b) children of veterans in each year between 2010 and 2022.

Sarah Atherton: It is taking longer to answer the hon. Members Question. I will write to her when the investigations are complete, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: Applications

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many current applications to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme have been waiting for a response for over (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to the Armed Forces Compensation scheme were rejected for veterans who had served in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in each year between 2010 and 2022.

Sarah Atherton: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Members Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the threat posed by the potential use of low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Mr Ben Wallace: I regularly hold discussions with the Prime Minister on a range of issues.President Putin's comments are irresponsible. No other country is talking about nuclear use. We do not see this as a nuclear crisis.

Shipbuilding: Skilled Workers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of the skilled workforce in the UK for the design of grey ships.

Alec Shelbrooke: The UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, which was set up as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, meets regularly and is actively working with industry to collect skills data and assess how the sector will meet the level of ambition set by the Refresh, including for ship design skills.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the risk posed by Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear warfare in Ukraine.

Mr Ben Wallace: I regularly hold discussions with the Prime Minister on Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence has been at the forefront of providing support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This support has included providing counter-CBRN protective equipment and expert advice to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and is working closely with international partners to coordinate counter-CBRN support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ministry of Defence: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the appointment of a new Chancellor of the Exchequer on 14 October 2022, how much his Department has been asked to find in efficiency savings by HM Treasury.

Alec Shelbrooke: The Ministry of Defence has received no instructions to find efficiency savings since 14 October 2022.

Ministry of Defence: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has been asked by the Chancellor of the Exchequer make efficiency savings in its (a) RDEL and (b) capital budget.

Alec Shelbrooke: The Ministry of Defence has received no instructions to find efficiency savings in either its RDEL or capital budget since 14 October 2022.

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 59227 on Ajax Vehicles: Testing, what was the result of the assessment.

Alec Shelbrooke: I have provided the House with an update on AJAX by way of a written ministerial statement today.

EU Defence Policy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the UK’s application to join the Military Mobility Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project to be fully approved.

James Heappey: The Military Mobility Project delivered through the European Union's Permanent Structural Corporation is an important part of enabling NATO's response to the crisis in continental Europe. The Military Mobility Project will co-ordinate infrastructure development and other logistics measures that will allow NATO to move forces quickly across the continent. The UK joins the US, Canada and Norway who are already part of the project.The Project's members approved our application on 6 October 2022, and it will now be considered by the Council of the European Union. The timing of any full approval of our application is a matter for the EU.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the dates on which he has met with the Russian Ambassador to the UK to discuss that country's invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence has not met the Russian Ambassador since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Secretary of State for Defence has engaged his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu, and the Chief of Defence Staff has engaged his counterpart, General Gerasimov.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made about the number of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel (a) killed in action and (b) wounded since 24 February 2022.

James Heappey: Russia and Ukraine have been extremely cautious in revealing any casualty figures since Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to demonstrate resilience against Russian aggression despite personnel losses and injuries. In August, the Ukrainian military authorities reported that nearly 9,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in the war with Russia.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made on the total number of Wagner mercenaries fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.

James Heappey: Russia's Armed Forces have demonstrated generally low effectiveness in combat, a result of poor training, logistics and strategy. Given Ukraine's recent counteroffensive, Russia will continue to rely on Wagner mercenaries to supplement its own armed forces in an attempt to improve operational effectiveness.

Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to ensure there are no further reductions to the numbers of the Armed Forces personnel beyond the Government's proposals to reduce size of the British Army by 9,500 personnel.

James Heappey: The 2021 Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper highlighted that we must focus on capabilities rather than troop numbers. Through Future Soldier, the Army will have a whole force of over 100,000 comprising of 73,000 Regular Service Personnel and 30,100 Army Reserve.The Army is re-organising and re-equipping to face future threats, however, as the Secretary of State has stated, as the threat changes, we need to change with it. In line with the agile planning and delivery mechanisms, and as part of the Prime Minister's decision to update the Integrated Review, Defence will continue to review our capabilities and readiness levels accordingly.Any specific policy changes required for Defence will be determined once the Government's update of the Integrated Review has concluded.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 15 June 2022 to Question 14429, how many Afghans with confirmed eligibility for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are in Afghanistan as of 13 October 2022.

James Heappey: As of 17 October 2022, there are 390 ARAP principals with confirmed eligibility for relocation to the UK who were in Afghanistan at the point that they last confirmed their location with the ARAP casework team.There are a number of factors that contribute to how long an individual with confirmed eligibility remains in Afghanistan, such as the dynamic security environment and an applicant's personal circumstances.It is always possible to know whether all eligible personnel are still in Afghanistan, as it is incumbent on them to inform the ARAP casework team if they leave the country.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Armed Forces

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Armed Forces personnel, across all branches of the Armed Forces and including reservists, have claimed Universal Credit each financial year from 2013-14 to 2021-2022.

Victoria Prentis: As set out in response to PQ 11553, DWP began collecting armed forces status on UC claimants from April 2021. Therefore, it is not possible to provide figures back to 2013.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 55080 on Social Security Benefits: Appeals, for what reason her Department make a decision to lapse an appeal after previously having decided not to reconsider the decision at the mandatory reconsideration stage.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 55080 on Social Security Benefits: Appeals, whether her Department reviews every appeal to decide whether or not it should lapse.

Claire Coutinho: When preparing an appeal response the Department will review the decision, considering evidence previously submitted and any new evidence received with the appeal. The grounds for any revision will depend on the specifics of the individual case. Our overarching aim is to ensure that decisions which should be changed and so do not need to proceed to a hearing are changed at this stage. Where the change does not award the claimant the maximum they could be awarded by a tribunal the appeal will only be lapsed with the claimant’s agreement.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals have been completed following a decision made under the Risk Review Process; and what proportion of those appeals were (a) lapsed and (b) overturned by the Tribunal.

Alex Burghart: From 21st January 2022 when we started collating figures, we have completed 54 appeals. Breaking this figure down, 22 were lapsed and 14 overturned. The balance is made up of 5 withdrawn appeals, 2 partially upheld appeals and 11 cases where the appeal was refused.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Mandatory Reconsiderations have been completed following a decision made under the Risk Review Process; and what proportion of those reconsiderations led to the decision being overturned.

Alex Burghart: Since 4th July 2022, when collation of Mandatory Reconsideration figures commenced under the Risk Review process, there have been 174 Mandatory Reconsiderations with 1 case being revised.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of overpayments of Universal Credit identified as part of the Risk Review Process related to (a) identity verification, (b) right to reside, (c) housing costs verification and (d) other issues.

Alex Burghart: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of overpayments of Universal Credit identified as part of the Risk Review Process also attracted a civil penalty.

Alex Burghart: Civil penalties are not applied to Risk Review Cases.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many overpayments of Universal Credit her Department has identified as part of its Risk Review Process.

Alex Burghart: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Home Responsibilities Protection

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 71 of her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22, HC 193, what recent progress her Department made on the investigation into errors in records relating to home responsibilities protection; what estimate she has made of when the investigations will be complete; how she plans to inform the House of the results of the investigation; and if she will make a statement.

Alex Burghart: We are continuing to support HM Revenue and Customs to investigate incorrect National Insurance records relating to Home Responsibilities Protection. Although a small number of cases have been identified, the vast majority of customers will not be affected. Most customers can check their National Insurance record online which will show their qualifying year status, or they can visit GOV.UK for more information. We will provide an update to Parliament in due course.

Support for Mortgage Interest: Merseyside

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) St Helens and (b) Merseyside were (i) eligible for, (ii) applied for and (iii) received a Support for Mortgage Interest loan in each year since 2015.

Alex Burghart: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Coastal Areas: Planning

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the guidance on planning liberalisation in the Investment Zones: expression of interest guidance, published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 6 October 2022, on his Department's guidance entitled Flood Risk and Coastal Change Planning Guidance, published on 25 August 2022.

Trudy Harrison: Defra and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are working closely together on developing Investment Zone proposals. Investment Zones will be locally led and areas have been asked to submit Expressions of Interest. HM Government’s ‘Investment Zones: expression of interest guidance’ is clear that key planning policies to ensure developments are well designed and address flood risk, highway and other public safety matters, along with building regulations, will continue to apply.

Flood Control: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding the Government has allocated to flood resilience schemes in each year since 2010.

Trudy Harrison: The table below sets out HM Government spend on flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes over the last 10 years. The majority of the total represents capital funding for flood risk schemes.  YearTotal Government spend on FCERM schemes £ million2011/ 12572.92012/13576.32013/14606.22014/15802.62015/16710.82016/17794.92017/18777.02018/19792.42019/20866.72020/211,062.8  Source: Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Beaches: Sewage

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the economic impact of beach closures as a result of sewage pollution on coastal businesses in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Trudy Harrison: My Department has not made such an assessment for England. This policy area is devolved to the Welsh Government.

Foie Gras: Overseas Trade

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish legislation on banning the import and export of foie gras.

Scott Mann: The Action Plan for Animal Welfare noted that HM Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese which have been force fed raises serious welfare concerns and that the production of foie gras by force feeding is already illegal in the UK.The Action Plan also noted that now that the United Kingdom has left the EU, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform decisions on banning the import or sale of foie gras and other products derived from low-welfare systems.HM Government is currently continuing to build this evidence base. No specific deadline has been set for this exercise.

Guide Dogs: EU Countries

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that guide dogs and their owners are able to travel to the EU without having to produce an animal medical certificate.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on helping ensure that people with assistance dogs are able to travel to the EU without producing an animal medical certificate.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the blind and partially sighted community on requirements for travelling to the EU with a guide dog.

Scott Mann: The United Kingdom has been formally 'listed' as a 'Part 2' third country for the purposes of the European Union pet travel scheme, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain to the European Union and to Northern Ireland. The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the European Union Pet Travel Regulations. These rules also apply to assistance dogs. Defra recognise the undue impact that these changes are having on many people, including pet owners and assistance dog users. We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the United Kingdom's tapeworm-free status, and we see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted. Achieving these would alleviate a number of pet travel rules for all travellers, including the need for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). We have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity and we continue to discuss pet travel issues with the European Union at appropriate forums. We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant external partners on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the European Union. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations on these issues and to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.

Furs: Overseas Trade

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish legislation on banning the import and export of animal fur products.

Scott Mann: HM Government made a commitment to explore potential action in relation to animal fur, as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We have since conducted a Call for Evidence on the fur sector along with other forms of engagement with interested parties.We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector and speak to a range of interested parties, to make sure we fully understand the issues at hand before taking any decisions regarding the import and export of animal fur products.

Cats: Animal Welfare

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of animal welfare protections for serval cats.

Scott Mann: When kept privately as pets, pure servals require a licence under Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. While the focus of the 1976 Act is public safety, licensing conditions also provide for animal welfare protections, such as the provision of accommodation that is a suitable size, temperature and cleanliness, as well as providing adequate and suitable food, drink and bedding material. Whether a serval hybrid would require a licence under the 1976 Act would depend on the generation of the cat. When the list of species which require a licence under the 1976 Act was last amended in 2007 it sought to clarify the position for domestic cat x wild cat hybrids generally. The immediate offspring of a pure serval and a domestic cat would require a licence, but subsequent hybrids from this source would not.Where a serval was kept and exhibited to the public for seven days or more a year (otherwise than in a circus or pet shop), rather than a licence under the 1976 Act, they would need to be licensed and inspected under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. Under the 1981 Act, zoos are required to meet strict obligations in relation to animal welfare, conservation, and education. The animal welfare requirements are set in the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. The standards are currently under review following a 16 week consultation that ended on Tuesday 21 st June.The commercial sale of cats, including servals, as pets is regulated under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The 2018 Regulations set out clear requirements for those who sell cats commercially. Licencees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences.Further to these specific protections, these animals are also protected under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The 2006 Act requires those in charge of animals to protect them from harm and to ensure their key welfare needs are provided for. Those in charge of animals who fail to protect them from harm, or fail to provide for their welfare needs may be prosecuted and face penalties including a custodial sentence or an unlimited fine, or both.

Oils: Prices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of cooking oil price rises on small and medium size businesses.

Mark Spencer: Most oilseeds are internationally traded commodities. Subsequently, their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments in price and availability. The rise in cost of cooking oil has been influenced by the war in Ukraine due to its role as a major exporter of sunflower oil and oilseed rape, as well as additional factors unrelated to the conflict, such as weather conditions and currency fluctuations.We have a highly resilient food supply chain, which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Through Defra's engagement with small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) food and drink manufacturers, including a monthly SME forum, and regular bilateral conversations with SMEs and their business representative organisations, we have gained a good understanding of the challenges SMEs are facing in relation to the rising cost of cooking oils.In response to the Ukraine invasion the Food Standards Agency issued guidance to Local Authorities advising them that sunflower oil may be substituted with refined rapeseed oil, or fully refined coconut, soyabean, and palm oils, as well as fully refined maize/corn oils without the label reflecting this immediately, where absolutely necessary, and as a temporary measure. This has helped reduce burdens on businesses impacted by supply chain disruption.We are in regular ongoing contact with representatives in the arable sector, including major grain traders and oilseed crushers, to discuss any potential pressures on domestic production, impacts of global events on supply chains and relevant developments in other countries.

Food: Prices

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of research by Kantar, published on 11 October 2022, on potential rises in the average annual grocery bill.

Mark Spencer: My Department understands the pressure that rising food prices place on household budgets and the impacts on businesses across the food chain. Recent cost pressures in supply chains have led to continued food price inflation and we continue to monitor food prices using inflation statistics published by the Office for National Statistics.We recognise that most household grocery bills will have increased given the food price inflation reported since mid-2021. Defra analysis shows that the exact impact will vary depending on the characteristics of the individual household, such as the age of the occupants. The impact will also be determined by the products the individual household purchases and the measures taken to protect against increased costs - for instance, switching to own-brand or value products.Food prices are set individually by businesses and are influenced by the competitive market they work in and the cost pressures they face. It is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.

Fisheries: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of people working as fishers in the UK in each year since 2010.

Mark Spencer: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in their annual statistical publication publish a breakdown of the number of people working as fishers in the UK in each year ( UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).An extract from this report setting out the figures for 2010 to 2021 are supplied below.YearNo. fishers201012,703201112,405201212,445201312,235201411,845201512,107201611,757201711,692201811,961201912,043202011,298202110,724The methodology for this 'Employment Data' is published within the report ( Sea Fish Statistics 2021 - Annex B).

Food: Imports

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing more clear country of origin labelling for imported food produce.

Mark Spencer: Food Information to Consumers Regulations apply to all food sold on the UK market, including imported food, and require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as: beef; veal; lamb; mutton; pork; goat; poultry; fish; shellfish; wine; olive oil; honey; and most fruits and vegetables. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food.In the Food Strategy which was published earlier this year we committed to exploring whether existing country of origin rules can be strengthened by mandating how and where origin information is displayed. HM Government is committed to tightening up food labelling so that it is easier for consumers to buy British.

Home Office

Passports and Visas: Applications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she sill publish a breakdown of the cost to her Department of staffing and operating the walk-in surgery in the Portcullis House Customer Hub for Ukraine and passport cases in 2022.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of reinstating the Home Office walk-in surgery in the Portcullis House Customer Hub.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she can provide a breakdown of (a) the number of engagements made with Members Staff, and (b) the number of cases investigated, in the Home Office walk-in surgery in the Portcullis House Customer Hub in 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office is unable to provide the information requested.The Home Office Portcullis House team dealt with over 30,000 enquiries and at its peak handled more than 1,000 enquiries per day.The department wrote to all Members on 18 August 2022 to advise that a national programme of engagement events enabling MPs and their caseworkers to meet with Home Office officials nearer to their constituencies would replace the Portcullis House walk in service.Urgent enquiries, including passport and Ukraine visa applications should be sent to the urgent inbox: mpurgentqueries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Visas: Sponsorship

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a sponsor guarantor scheme for visa applicants.

Tom Pursglove: There are already a number of visa routes, including work, study and family routes, where formal sponsorship is required with penalties in place if a sponsor is not meeting their obligations. In other routes, we require evidence that a visa applicant can maintain and accommodate themselves during their stay in the United Kingdom and that they will leave the United Kingdom at the end of their stay.   We believe it is right that the responsibility to demonstrate they will maintain and accommodate themselves and leave the United Kingdom lies with the applicant. We will refuse applications where this is not the case and individuals who become overstayers in the United Kingdom may be subject to a re-entry ban.Our website (www.gov.uk) provides information about the obligations we expect from sponsors and visa applicants and re-entry bans.

Overseas Students

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to place a limit on the number of international students who are able to study at UK universities.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a cap on the number of dependents that international students can bring to the UK on (a) the number of international students studying in the UK, (b) the potential economic cost to the UK and (c) women.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to continue to provide graduate visas after 2022.

Tom Pursglove: Our offer to international students is extremely competitive and ensures that we continue to attract the best and brightest students from around the world.The Government’s International Education Strategy set out a target of attracting 600,000 international Higher Education students to the UK by 2030, which we have achieved almost a decade early. The public also rightly expects us to control immigration and ensure we have a system that works in the UK’s best interests. As the Growth Plan set out, the Government is looking at how immigration contributes to growth and will set out further details in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the letter of 18 August 2022 from the hon. Member for Walthamstow, case reference ZA70406.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will reply to correspondence of 16 August 2022 from the hon. Member for Walthamstow, case reference ZA69438.

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the letter of 15 September 2022 from the hon. Member for Walthamstow, case reference ZA70529.

Tom Pursglove: I apologise for the delay.PQ 64076 – The Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management (MPAM) team and Direct Communications Unit (DCU) have no trace of this enquiry.PQ 64077 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0414558/22 – The Home Office responded on 18 October 2022.PQ 64078 – MPAM reference: MPAM/0434622/22 – The Home Office responded on 18 October 2022.

Domestic Abuse

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether post separation abuse is a prosecutable offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Mims Davies: Sections 1 and 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 included a strengthened definition of domestic abuse which recognises abuse can take place post separation.Section 1 sets out that the relationship between an individual being abused and the perpetrator is one where they are ‘personally connected’. Section 2 expands what is meant by ‘personally connected’ and is explicit this includes instances where to people “are, or have been” in various forms of relationship, including marriage, civil partnerships, and intimate personal relationships.The Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance, issued by the Home Secretary under Section 84 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, includes specific references to post-separation abuse, acknowledging “abuse can continue or intensify when a relationship has ended.”

Refugees: Resettlement

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have been settled through the Community Sponsorship Scheme as of 1 October 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of refugees resettled broken down by established resettlement scheme are published in table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to Q2 2022. Data covering Q3 2022 is set to be published on the 24 November 2022 and data covering Q4 2022 is set to be published on the 23 February 2023.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: Rwanda

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether pregnant women seeking asylum will be considered for removal to Rwanda under the Rwanda asylum plan.

Tom Pursglove: Decisions on whether to relocate individuals to Rwanda are made on a case-by-case basis depending on the individual circumstances at the time, and in accordance with the inadmissibility guidance available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inadmissibility-third-country-cases(opens in a new tab).Everyone considered for relocation will be screened and have access to legal advice, and nobody will be removed if it is unsafe or inappropriate for them.

Asylum: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been hosted in hotels in St Helens in each year since 2015; and how much that cost in each of those years.

Tom Pursglove: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support. Data are published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published on 25 August 2022.   The next quarterly figures are due to be released in November 2022. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in a specific type of accommodation. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Police: Pensions

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that the provisions of the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 will apply to police officers who retire after 1 October 2023.

Jeremy Quin: The Government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds of age, associated with the transitional protection arrangements linked to the 2015 pension reforms, which was subsequently identified by the courts.The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act (PSPJOA) received Royal Assent on 10 March, establishing the legal framework to provide this remedy. The Police and Firefighters’ Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (‘the Regulations’) provided the first, prospective, element of the remedy in respect of police pensions.The second, retrospective, part of the remedy is more complex and will require further detailed changes to scheme regulations using the powers in the PSPJOA. These changes will be in force by 1 October 2023, in line with the Government’s commitments under that Act.

Offensive Weapons: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of crime involving (a) knives, (b) guns and (c) any other weapon were recorded in St Helens in each year since 2015.

Jeremy Quin: The Home Office collects and publishes information on offences involving knives / sharp instruments or firearms at the Police Force Area level only.Information for Merseyside police can be found in the Home Office Open Data Tables, available here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government Finance: Inflation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to increase the local government settlement in line with inflation or above, ahead of the local government finance settlement; and if he has had discussions with local authority leaders about their ability to (a) plan for (b) provide public services without this information; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £54.1 billion in 2022/23 for local government in England, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22.Inflation forecasts are higher than they were at the Spending Review. How that interacts with the finances of local government is not straightforward. We are working closely with local government to understand the impact of inflationary pressures. My department speaks regularly to local government and their representatives to understand their financial position.Local authorities will receive support through the government's Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will provide a discount on energy prices this winter for local authorities whose bills have been significantly inflated by the global energy crisis.The Government recognises how important certainty is to local authorities, and we aim to provide that whenever possible. We will be announcing the 2023/24 Local Government settlement in due course.

Business Rates: Reviews

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the outcome to the Business Rates Review: technical consultation which closed on 22 February 2022.

Paul Scully: The Government will respond to the technical consultation in due course.

Business Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the phasing of business rates on businesses paying (a) more and (b) less after the re-evaluation.

Paul Scully: The Government is currently assessing the responses to its consultation on transitional arrangements for the 2023 revaluation and will respond in due course.

Housing: Solar Power

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to require the mandatory installation of solar panels on new housing developments.

Paul Scully: Renewable energy, such as that generated from solar panels, is a key part of our strategy to get to net zero via a decarbonised electricity grid. We must therefore take the opportunity, where appropriate, to fit solar panels.However, some homes may not be suitable for solar panels. For instance, due to shading, building orientation, roof shape/size, or visual amenity.In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions, with new homes now expected to produce around 30% less CO2 emissions compared to those built to the previous standards.Our approach to achieving higher standards remains technology-neutral, to provide developers with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions for their site. We expect, however, that in order to comply with the uplift, most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes or use other low-carbon technology such as a heat pump.As well as improving the energy efficiency of new buildings in the short term, the uplift will act as a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard, which will be implemented in 2025.  The Future Homes Standard will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, meaning they will become zero carbon when the electricity grid decarbonises without the need for any retrofit work.

Building Safety Fund: Leeds

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to make a decision on the application to the Building Safety Fund in respect of the Basilica on King Charles Street in Leeds.

Paul Scully: The Department has awarded £395,586 in pre-tender support funding to the applicant for the Basilica Building. This is advance funding to help the applicant to undertake the design, specification and tendering required to start the remediation works. It is now for the applicant to take swift action, appoint a professional team, develop the works specification, go out to tender and get the building fixed.

Capital Investment

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the announcement on 24 September 2022 of Investment Zones, (a) what measures, (b) what timetable and (c) what local authority areas he is considering for the creation of those zones; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Capital Investment

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish his Department's assessments of the potential impact of Investment Zones on (a) local, (b) regional and (c) national growth in the UK.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Ukraine

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on support provided to the hosts of Ukrainian refugees.

Andrew Stephenson: UK Government ministers regularly engage with their Devolved Government counterparts at all levels on the design and implementation of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, to ensure we collectively deliver a scheme in the best interests of our Ukrainian guests.   That engagement is underpinned by regular Directors and Permanent Secretary-led meetings, alongside a dedicated team, and several working level groups focused on specific topics such as safeguarding, policy, guidance, and re-matching.

Refugees: Ukraine

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to increase the amount of support provided to the hosts of Ukrainian refugees in each of the four nations of the UK.

Andrew Stephenson: We recognise the growing pressure on family finances, and the challenges that households are facing with the rising costs of living. We are continuing to work with local councils and sponsors to support them with their hosting arrangements.

King Charles III: Ceremonies

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the requirement to provide support to civic events marking the coronation of His Majesty the King on 6 May 2023 on the capacity of local government officials and returning officers to carry out elections to both parish councils and other tiers of local government on 4 May 2023 and election counts on 5 and 6 May 2023; and if he will take steps to provide additional support to councils to carry out those elections.

Andrew Stephenson: We understand that communities across the country will want to join in celebrating the Coronation of His Majesty the King on 6 May 2023 and that local authorities and their staff will, as ever, have a critical role in facilitating those celebrations. We are considering across Government any potential impacts on public service delivery, and this of course includes the delivery of scheduled local elections.

Levelling Up Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what mechanism his Department has in place the resize successful bids to the Levelling Up Fund based on levels of inflation; and what steps his Department will take to implement their mechanism.

Andrew Stephenson: The department is monitoring the situation closely through formal reporting mechanisms and on the ground relationships. These are giving us an emerging picture of the impact of cost inflation on our programmes.The Levelling Up Fund has put in place a proportionate project adjustment process. Through this, we can work with places to make sensible adjustments to the scope and phasing of projects to mitigate delivery challenges including cost inflation whilst also maintaining value for money.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if it remains the policy of the Government that total domestic UK-wide funding for the Shared Prosperity Fund will on average reach about £1.5 billion per year, as announced in the Spending Review published in November 2020.

Andrew Stephenson: The UK Government remains committed to levelling up across the UK. In 2021, the UK Government announced a £2.6 billion fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, as a key component of this ambition. All areas of the UK will receive a UKSPF allocation via a funding formula rather than through competition. We welcome the work of local authorities and partners across the UK in developing UKSPF Investment Plans and will confirm the outcome of the Plan assessment process shortly.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2022 to Question 49748 on Homes for Ukraine Scheme, and with reference to the section entitled Four to 6 months after guests have moved to your area in his Department's guidance entitled Homes for Ukraine: guidance for councils, if he plans to issue guidance to councils for the period beyond four to six months.

Andrew Stephenson: The updated guidance for the Homes for Ukraine guests, hosts and councils setting out all the support options available to them post six months of sponsorship can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-a-guide-for-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk/your-living-arrangements-4-to-6-months-after-moving-to-the-uk.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of (a) the number of Ukrainian refugees who will need continued support under the Homes for Ukraine scheme beyond the first six months and (b) the number of UK households supporting refugees under the scheme; and what plans he has to extend the scheme beyond six months.

Andrew Stephenson: We are working closely with local councils and community partners to ensure that all those who have fled Putin's war via the Homes for Ukraine scheme have a safe place to live.   ONS survey results show most hosts say they want to provide support for longer than six months. The results of latest ONS survey of Homes for Ukraine can be accessed here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/experiencesofhomesforukraineschemesponsorsuk/7to14july2022.As guests start to come to the end of their initial six months sponsorship arrangements, we have set out the options and support available to sponsors and guests so they can have informed discussions about their choices.   The updated guidance for the Homes for Ukraine guests, hosts and councils setting out all the support options available to them post six months of sponsorship can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-a-guide-for-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk/your-living-arrangements-4-to-6-months-after-moving-to-the-uk.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of 31 March 2022.

Mr Alister Jack: Three staff in the Scotland Office held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against the Scotland Office’s budget as of 31 March 2022.

Cabinet Office

Public Bodies: Females

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of current Chairs of Public Sector Bodies are women; and how this percentage has changed since 1992.

Chris Philp: The Cabinet Office publishes annual data on public appointments diversity. The latest figures, published 21 October 2021, show that the proportion of Chair, or Chair equivalent roles filled by women in post on 31 March 2021 was 33%. In 2017, the comparative figure was 30%. Comparative figures are not available for earlier years. Data for 31 March 2022 will be published before the end of the year.

Homicide: Females

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women were victims of homicide in each year since 2015.

Chris Philp: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 17 October is attached.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he intends to publish a revised directory of ministerial responsibilities.

Chris Philp: A revised List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published in due course. In the meantime, departments are updating their ministers' pages on GOV.UK which also include portfolio information.

NHS England: Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants will be working on the introduction of Cabinet Office approval for clinical and non-clinical spending by NHS England.

Chris Philp: Four civil servants will be dedicated to the initial roll out of the commercial spend controls; this number will be reviewed in six months.

Landmark Information Group: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will (a) publish the statement of requirements for the contract reference C2264 awarded to Landmark Information Group on 5 October and published by his Department on 10 October 2022 and (b) explain the purpose of that contract.

Chris Philp: a) The Statement of Requirements for Points of Interest Data for the National Situation Centre states the following requirement:Points of interest data covering the whole of the UK including Northern Ireland.In-depth tagging of types of location, allowing us to differentiate between types of premises in the event of a crisis.Information to be quality assured quarterly to ensure accuracy and establish a level of confidence in the information provided.Level of accuracy - the information provided to clearly communicate where premises are registered as dual purpose (commercial business parks, and buildings of multiple occupancy). Where multiple of the same business are located within close proximity.Information provided to be in the form of CSV files with any aggregate results able to be shared across government departments at the discretion of the customer.Information ingestion to be automatable as far as reasonably practicable, supplier support for this automation is essential to delivery to tight timescales of response, the level of supportPoints of Interest data for a comprehensive list of locations is provided in a range of geolocational formats including file Geodatabase (.gdb), Shapefile (.shp) and simple text file (.csv).Quarterly updates are provided as standard with the data provided as a secure web link.Supplier to provide an attribute table for locations including information as identified by the WatchKeepers that provides suitable context information to inform a crisis response.Information regularly updated against available sources, such as yellow pages, Companies House and other public sources to ensure information being provided is up to date and accurate.Referencing to be compatible across Defra, MOD and BEIS systems - these departments are critical partners in the crisis response/information sharing network and using the same referencing information is required to limit system lag, and to ensure clarity across multiple partners. Being able to use the same location referencing layout as partners is an essential requirement.Updates to location data, provided by the customer are to be only accessible to approved government partners.The Statement of Requirements shall not be published on Security Grounds. This procurement activity relates to The National Situation Centre, which is exempt from publishing Commercially Sensitive documents under National Security Exemptions.Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Sections 23 (Security Bodies) and 24 (National Security) apply. Under Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Section 15 (National Security) applies.b) The National Situation Centre provides situational awareness to senior officials and ministers during civil contingency and national security crisis events. The purpose of this contract is to provide SitCen with detailed, accurate data on premises across the UK, allowing us to identify with confidence risks to individuals and businesses. Open source alternatives are not accurate enough for this purpose.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were working on the review of the Integrated Review on 17 October 2022.

Chris Philp: The Integrated Review (IR) refresh process is being run by a joint No10-Cabinet Office team under the leadership of the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser for Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser. The core team comprises 18 FTE civil servants, supported by a virtual team across Cabinet Office who are assisting the IR refresh as part of their roles.The core No10-CO team is also coordinating a wider government effort drawing on policy expertise from across key departments, meaning that a higher number of civil servants in total will have some interaction with the process.

Basis Social: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will (a) publish the statement of requirements for the contract reference CCZZ22A09 awarded to Basis Social on 30 September and published by his Department on 12 October 2022 and (b) explain the purpose of that contract.

Chris Philp: It is Cabinet Office policy to publish Contracts with a value of over £10,000 on Contracts Finder within 30 days of Contract Award. Cabinet Office intends to publish the Statements of Requirements for this Contract within that timeframe.The purpose of the contract is for qualitative analysis of terminology relating to people’s ethnic identity. It will focus on the opinions of people from different ethnic groups exploring what is or isn’t inclusive and how to most appropriately reflect their ethnic identity. The findings will be used as part of the evidence base for the development of a number of key outputs including:harmonised ethnicity classifications for use by the Government Statistical Serviceand recommendations which will encourage responsible and accurate reporting on race issues.

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Responsibility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 61901, what responsibility is held by Ministers in his Department for the National Science and Technology Council.

Chris Philp: The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has responsibility for the Cabinet Office’s work on science, technology, and innovation, including oversight of the Office of Science and Technology Strategy.A new National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has been established with responsibility for delivering an ambitious UK science and technology strategy. The committee will allow Ministers to coordinate efforts across government to create the very best conditions for science and technology in the UK as a crucial driver of economic growth, prosperity and security. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will support this group as deputy chair.

Cabinet Office: Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on taxi cabs for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in each of the last three years.

Chris Philp: Spend on taxi cabs in as follows: 20/2121/2222/23 (to 30/09/22)Total Taxi Spend883,520.531,619,210.30341,060.18Of which Government Car Service490,595.461,395,679.70184,295.24 Spend on Government Car Service can be separated, however more widely we cannot split total spend by passenger so a broader breakdown of the spend is not available.

Emergencies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish the National Resilience Strategy.

Chris Philp: The Government intends to publish a resilience strategy this Autumn.

Cammell Laird: Strikes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department had on the 1984 Cammell Laird shipyard dispute with (i) other Government departments, (ii) the GMB trade union and (iii) other stakeholders between 1997 and 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Cabinet Office does not hold any documents on the 1984 Cammell Laird dispute. Records created in 1984 have been transferred to The National Archives, as required by the Public Records Act 1958. We cannot answer what discussions were had over the 10 year period, as answering would produce disproportionate costs.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to introduce further provisions for appeal in cases where a complainant to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman believes that the Ombudsman has not taken into account all elements of a case.

Chris Philp: Provisions for reviewing decisions made by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman are a matter for the Ombudsman, who publishes information for complainants who believe that such decisions are wrong. The Ombudsman is also accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, who hold an annual scrutiny session to evaluate his performance.

Emergencies: Warnings

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that emergency alerts will be treated seriously by the public; and whether he plans to publish a list of reasons for sending an emergency alert.

Chris Philp: The Emergency Alerts capability is expected to be trialled nationally later this year. This will be preceded by a public information campaign culminating in a national welcome message - a simultaneous test message sent to all compatible mobile phones across the United Kingdom. This approach has been found elsewhere to maximise awareness and understanding on how recipients should react on receiving alerts.The capability is expected to be launched with a focus over the winter on extreme weather related events. Subject to an evaluation in the spring, its scope will likely be widened out to other use cases. There will always be a very high threshold for issuing an alert based on strict criteria centred on an immediate threat to life and the applicability of the capability to the event in hand, rather than a scenario driven approach.

Cabinet Office: Railways

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on first class train travel for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants in (i) 2020, (i) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Chris Philp: Based on our central contracts spend in the years requested is below:2020 - £34,008.202021 - £44,083.402022 (until September) - £31,541.35It is not possible to separate spend by ministers and civil servants.

Public Sector: Redundancy

Angela Rayner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's proposed reduction of the number of employees in the civil service on public services.

Chris Philp: The Government is firmly committed to the delivery of high quality public services at an affordable cost. Earlier this year, the former Prime Minister tasked Secretaries of State and Permanent Secretaries to work together on producing a plan to ensure the efficiency of the Civil Service and of public service delivery.The reprioritisation, efficiency and productivity review will put in place plans to work more efficiently. This work remains ongoing and, as plans are still in development, no decisions have yet been made.

Treasury

Public Expenditure

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a zero-based review of all Departmental spending.

Edward Argar: Last year’s Spending Review (‘SR21’) set departmental budgets for three years from 2022/23 to 2024/25: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1043688/Budget_AB2021_Print.pdf As the Chancellor has set out, difficult decisions will be needed on taxation and spending in order to deliver debt falling as a share of the economy over the medium term. This will include finding efficiencies and savings from within plans set at the last Spending Review. The Government will not be undertaking another Spending Review or zero-based review at this time. The Chancellor will provide more detail on the Government’s planned approach to public spending at the Medium-Term Fiscal Plan on 31 October.

Economic Growth

Richard Thomson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of his target for economic growth on (a) inequality, (b) GDP and (c) public debt.

Andrew Griffith: An assessment of the impact of the government’s Growth Plan on the economy and public finances will be made by the OBR on the 31st October alongside the Medium Term Fiscal Plan.

Visits Abroad: Costs

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was to the public purse of the travel for (a) the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) his specialist advisors and (c) HM Treasury civil servants for the British Airways flight from Washington to Heathrow Airport which departed on Thursday 13 October.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of the travel arrangements of the former Chancellor for his visit to Washington D.C. in October 2022.

Felicity Buchan: (a) The costs for the former Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng’s travel to Washington DC for IMF Annual Meetings was £8,533.56.(b) The costs for the former Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng’s one special advisor travel to Washington DC was £4,459.56.(c) The costs for the four civil servants that accompanied the former Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, to Washington DC was £17,746.58

Railways: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on when the Government will set out a timetable for the (a) funding and (b) construction of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the correspondence from the Chair of Northern Powerhouse Rail to the Prime Minister of 7 September 2022, if he will make it his policy to provide £43 billion of funding for the construction of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Edward Argar: The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the North and the Midlands sets out a £96 billion package to overhaul and modernise rail connections across the North and Midlands over the next 30 years. As set out in the IRP, the Government will deliver our core commitments first. This includes the first phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail, which will improve journeys from Manchester to Leeds, and from Leeds onto Bradford and York. We will keep options to expand the network under consideration, looking at the delivery of our core commitments, and depending on how demand and economic growth recover.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Crimes of Violence

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent violent images of assault being (a) uploaded, and (b) distributed on online sites.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to remove violent images of assault from online sites.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent online violent images being used as a form of cyber bullying.

Damian Collins: The Online Safety Bill will require all in-scope platforms to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal content appearing on their sites, or of their sites being used to facilitate illegal activity. All in-scope platforms will need to design their services to prevent exposure to illegal content and will need to set out in their terms of service how individuals will be protected from illegal content online. In-scope platforms will also need to ensure that they quickly take down illegal content once it has been reported or they become aware of its presence on their services.Platforms which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to assess the risks their service poses for children, including from harms such as cyberbullying and content depicting or encouraging violence, put in place measures to protect them, and monitor these to ensure they are keeping children safe on their services.Users will be able to report abuse, and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.If major platforms don’t fulfil their own standards to keep people safe, they could face an investigation and enforcement action.

Cricket: Racial Discrimination

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of trends of racism in cricket in England.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is clear that racism has no place in cricket, sport, or society at large.We were extremely concerned by the reports of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in the sport generally that emerged last year. We welcome the steps taken so far by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the chair of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Lord Patel, to address these issues. This includes the publication of a sport-wide 12 point action plan, against which the ECB regularly releases progress updates, and the launch of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.The Government expects to see clear and sustained evidence of cultural change across the sport resulting from these actions. We will continue to directly hold the ECB to account on this, and reserve the right to take further measures if progress is not made.

Football Governance Fan-led Review

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the Fan Led Review of Football Governance.

Stuart Andrew: The Government published its response to the recommendations of the Fan Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022 and we recognise the need for football to be reformed to ensure the game’s sustainability in the long term.We are now taking the time to consider the policy. We remain committed to publishing a White Paper setting out our detailed response to the Fan Led Review in due course.

Broadband

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to deliver full-fibre and gigabit-capable broadband by 2025 in (a) Kettering constituency, (b) north Northamptonshire and (c) England.

Julia Lopez: 88 percent of premises in the Kettering constituency and 83 percent of premises in North Northamptonshire are able to access gigabit-capable broadband.The Government has now launched market engagement exercises in all Project Gigabit intervention areas in England and are making excellent progress on our Project Gigabit procurements covering premises in Kettering and North Northamptonshire, with contracts expected to be awarded next year.More immediate support for premises in rural areas is also available through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Service Industries: Cost of Living

Steven Bonnar: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the cost of living crisis on the live events and hospitality sectors.

Julia Lopez: Increasing costs of energy bills are undoubtedly impacting on many sectors, including live events and hospitality. These sectors are facing significant pressures, which is why the government has taken immediate action to support them over winter with the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.This scheme, delivered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy, will support businesses and other non-domestic customers with increased energy prices by providing a discount on gas and electricity unit prices. Discounts will be applied to energy usage initially between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023.My Department will continue to engage constructively with DCMS sectors, from music venues to business event organisers to monitor the impact of rising costs, and will continue to work across government to support BEIS’ three-month review of the scheme, aimed at determining what further support is required.

Digital Technology: Competition

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide an update on the Government's policy on digital market competition.

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to allow pre-legislative scrutiny of the forthcoming Digital Markets Competition and Consumer Bill announced in the Queen's Speech 2022.

Damian Collins: The new pro-competition regime will remove the obstacles to competition and drive growth in digital markets, delivering lower prices for UK families, and giving consumers more choice and control over the services they use online.The Draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill was announced as part of the Queen's Speech 2022 and will be published as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Arts and Charities: Government Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support cultural and charitable organisations during the cost of living crisis.

Stuart Andrew: Charities are seeing increased demand for services, and both Civil Society and cultural organisations are facing higher energy prices.That is why the government took action to support such organisations with their bills over the winter, as part of our Energy Bill Relief Scheme.The department will continue to engage constructively across the cultural and charitable sectors to monitor the impact of rising energy costs.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether gender identity is a protected characteristic and what training material on the Civil Service learning platform for civil servants states that the precise definition of discrimination in the Equality Act 2010 includes gender identity.

Katherine Fletcher: The relevant protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010 is ‘gender reassignment’. The Equality and Human Rights Commission website explains that: “To be protected from gender reassignment discrimination, you do not need to have undergone any specific treatment or surgery to change from your birth sex to your preferred gender. This is because changing your physiological or other gender attributes is a personal process rather than a medical one. You can be at any stage in the transition process – from proposing to reassign your gender, to undergoing a process to reassign your gender, or having completed it.”The Civil Service training course ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ gives an explanation of the Equality Act 2010 as follows: The Equality Act provides specific protection for people who have the following characteristics:AgeDisabilityGender reassignmentMarriage and Civil PartnershipsPregnancy and MaternityRaceReligion and beliefSexSexual orientationHowever, the training does reference ‘gender identity’ as an area that could lead to discrimination. The current training is shortly being replaced with a new product called “Civil Service Expectations” which will more clearly reflect the legislation.